


Walking After You

by standardusername



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Almost an x-file AU but no spooky stuff or aliens, Alternative Universe - FBI, Case Fic, Eventual Smut, F/F, Motels, Mutual Pining, Of course there will be, Partners to Lovers, many tropes, team work, watch these idiots fall in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2020-06-24 07:12:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 88,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19718758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/standardusername/pseuds/standardusername
Summary: FBI agent, Laura Hollis, is reallocated and assigned a new partner. Agent Carmilla Karnstein is possibly the best agent in the Violent Crimes section and doesn't play well with others.





	1. The Deep End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a case fic so Hollis and Karnstein will for the most part solve a new case each week. This is basically the X-Files but no spooky stuff or aliens. I am using cases from episodes of the X-Files. You do not have to have seen the X-Files, I'm just taking cases and changing them to fit the fic.
> 
> This chapter I have taken content from the Pilot episode and S2 Irresistible.
> 
> I have chosen an archive warning for graphic depictions of violence but that's just a precaution. I do not plan on writing anything particularly violent but they are working in violent crimes so there will be discussion of violent crimes and at times violence. FYI There is an abduction in this chapter.
> 
> Lastly, I am not an FBI agent, everything I know is taken from the X-Files and Bones so can not guarantee that is going to be super realistic and true to life. It's just for fun, guys.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

Laura clipped her ID badge onto her dark suit jacket with jittery fingers as she reached the top of the escalator. She squared her shoulders resolutely and glanced around the busy lobby for the front desk. It was her first day on the job, well not her first exactly. Laura had spent her first year and a half as an agent teaching at the academy after she’d obtained her credentials, she didn’t visit FBI headquarters often. She had received a call from an assistant director at headquarters last week, it seemed she was being summoned for reassignment.

She marched up to the secretary displaying more confidence than she felt, “Agent Laura Hollis, I have a meeting with Assistant Director, Matska Belmonde.”

Moments later, Laura stepped off an elevator onto the busy fourth floor, the hall was alive with agents walking to and fro, the fluorescent lighting was almost too bright when emerging from the enclosed elevator, you could hear the sounds of shoes clacking loudly off the grey concrete floor and phones ringing in nearby offices.

She walked down the hall, avoided walking into an agent with his nose in a file as she searched for the correct office.

 _A.D Matska Belmonde,_ she found the door with the appropriate name plate and greeted the personal assistant with curly blonde hair who advised Laura to take a seat. She nervously checked her watch, she was early for the meeting. The assistant hit a button on her phone and informed the A.D of her arrival and then asked Laura if she would like a glass of water to which she politely declined.

“Agent Laura Hollis?” Matska Belmonde emerged from the adjoining office and offered Laura her hand, her shake was firm, she gave off an intimidating air which Laura found she respected, if only she could be half as confident. She understood how much harder it was for women in this work environment, Belmonde must have worked hard to be where she was, she deserved admiration.

“Nice to meet you, Assistant Director, Belmonde,” Laura said courteously, noticing how Belmonde towered over her as they shook hands and feeling just a smidge more inferior.

She gestured for Laura to follow her into her office and she walked around the desk to her chair as Laura took a seat opposite.

“Agent Hollis, thank you for coming on such short notice,” she closed a file on her desk which Laura suspected may have her name on it and she clasped her hands together, regarding Laura with a smile, “I see you’ve been with us for almost two years. How did you come to join the Bureau?”

Laura sucked in a steady breath before she responded, “I was recruited out of medical school... My dad was not impressed. He thought I was _rebelling_ against him but… I saw the FBI as place where I could potentially achieve much success.”

She regarded Laura for a moment and then nodded, satisfied with her answer.

“Are you…” she cleared her throat, “Are you familiar with an agent called Carmilla Karnstein?” 

“Yes, I am,” Laura nodded, the corners of her mouth turning up with a small smile.

The assistant director looked mildly surprised at her response, “How?”

“By reputation, I’ve heard of her,” Laura blinked as she tried to recall what she knew about the enigmatic, Special Agent Karnstein. “She’s a Harvard educated psychologist, generally thought of as the best analyst in the violent crimes section. She um… doesn’t play well with others… so I’ve heard,” she gave a nod and small smile, content with her answer.

“I guess you could say that,” the Assistant Director nodded, “Agent Karnstein is a superb agent but… we’ve been looking for someone to, well, for lack of a better word, reign her in.”

“Ma’am, are you assigning me to _look after_ Agent Karnstein?” Laura couldn’t help but express a little displeasure at this proposal. This wasn’t exactly what she saw herself doing when she joined the Bureau. 

“According to your file, you are particularly empathic. You’re a people person… an effective communicator,” Belmonde frowned as if she struggled to verbalize what she was thinking. “…Your file said you had many peers at the academy.”

Laura raised her eyebrows, not entirely sure why any of that mattered, “Okay?”

“It seems like a suitable match, don’t you think? You are being re-assigned to the violent crimes section as Agent Karnstein’s partner for the foreseeable future.”

Laura didn’t move, a few lingering seconds as she considered her words, it wasn’t ideal, it wasn’t what she’d wanted when she’d walked into headquarters this morning but then she nodded, accepting her fate. It’s not like she really had a choice in the matter, not before she’d even given it a shot.

With an impassive expression, she stood shaking A.D Belmonde’s hand again and straightening up a lapel on her suit jacket, “Thank you, Ma’am.”

She muttered a quiet, “Good luck, Agent,” as Laura headed towards the exit, when she glanced back at her, she was seated, typing on her computer.

With directions from her secretary, Laura found herself once again in the maze of corridors, trying to find the office that was one right and two doors down. 

Okay, she was quietly furious, she’d basically been assigned to look after a wild agent, like caring for a toddler. She briefly wondered how many other agents this Agent Karnstein had been affiliated with and how long any of them had lasted.

She found a quiet office she hoped was the right one, there were several desks in the room, one of them on the far side of the room was cleared which she assumed was hers. Three agents were working at their computers, one was leaning on her desk with a mug in her hand as she regarded what looked like a map, another agent was talking quietly on the phone. There was a crime board across the room, there was an agent with her back to Laura, unmoving as she stared at the board.

She reluctantly stepped inside, Laura didn’t know who Agent Karnstein was but made eye contact with an agent at one of the desks who smiled warmly and rose from her chair.

Was this Agent Karnstein? She didn’t seem so bad… 

“Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Laura Hollis,” she said, meeting the agent halfway and shaking her hand.

She was tall, _very_ tall. Her hair was auburn and her eyes were a welcoming green.

“We’ve been expecting you. I’m Agent Danny Lawrence. Welcome to the team, Agent Hollis.” She smiled and turned, glancing around the office. 

“I’ve been assigned to work with Agent Karnstein,” Laura said quietly, “Do you know where I might find her?" 

Danny sucked in a breath and looked slightly uncomfortable, “Sure, good luck, Hollis,” she gestured to her right, to the agent staring at the crime board.

“Thanks,” Laura walked over slowly and stood next to the agent without speaking a word, she could feel the eyes of every other agent in the room staring at her. She looked between the crime board and her new partner, Agent Karnstein was staring at a photograph.

One thing struck Laura instantly, Agent Karnstein was unquestionably attractive… this wasn’t something that Laura had expected or prepared for. She’d heard the stories about menacing Karnstein at the academy, no one had mentioned she was gorgeous. She was frowning, she had one flawless eyebrow raised as she studied the crime board. Her tight white fitted shirt was a harsh contrast to her dark hair which seemed to frame her face perfectly, with a button or two unfastened showing a curious amount of clavicle, her gun was holstered to her side.

“Agent Karnstein, I’m Laura Hollis, I’ve been assigned to work with you,” Laura said as confidently as she could, she held out her hand.

Agent Karnstein did not move and Laura was certain that the Agent had chosen to completely ignore her. She blinked, she really was working with a child.

“Isn’t that nice?” Karnstein spoke unexpectedly not looking away from the board. Her voice was slightly raspy as if she hadn’t spoken a word all day but it had a firm sort of quality that Laura imagined was very easy to listen to.

There was a quiet moment, “So, who did you piss off to get stuck with me, Agent Hollis?" She said, looking over at Laura only when she had finished talking.

She regarded Laura for moment and she blinked in what Laura thought might have been surprise and then she glanced down at her hand which was still hanging in the air between them. To Laura’s astonishment, Agent Karnstein reached out and shook her hand.

“Actually, I’m looking forward to working with you. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Laura said with what she hoped was a warm smile.

“I was under the impression that you were sent to baby sit me,” Karnstein said, raising an eyebrow as she studied Laura closely.

“If you have any doubts about my qualifications-” Laura began, feeling a little offended.

“You were recruited out of medical school. Until a week ago, you taught at the FBI academy.” Karnstein said, she appeared uninterested in the facts she was reeling off. 

Laura’s brow furrowed as she studied her partner. Did she already know that or had the agent somehow read that from her body language or something?

Agent Karnstein gave an unexpected smirk and then turned, sauntered away from the board to a desk and held up a file.

Laura nodded in understanding, still feeling very wary of the women in front of her.

“I assume this is yours,” Karnstein said, gesturing to the empty desk next to hers. “I’d like to get your _professional_ opinion on this…” She said, picking up another file and turning, leaning on the edge of her desk.

“Talk about throwing you in at the deep end…” she said quietly, opening the file and looking up at Laura, annoyingly amused, “What do you know about grave desecration?” 

Laura took a few steps closer, over to her new desk and blinked as she considered the question, “I’ve read about it I guess… Why?”

“Well, some people collect stamps, some people collect dead things… _apparently.”_ Karnstein mused as she regarded the file again. 

“No, I mean, why are you asking?” Laura asked, leaning on her own desk and folding her arms. 

“Three bodies in the last two days,” Agent Karnstein said, holding up a photograph, “…Dug up from a cemetary in Minneapolis,” she turned and placed the file down on her desk, spreading a few of the images out. 

It took Laura a few seconds to work out exactly what she was looking at and then she frowned at the photos in disgust, she wanted to look away but she feared showing any sign of unease in front of her new partner. 

“This is the body of Catherine Tyrell, she died 2 months ago…” She pointed to a particular gruesome photograph. 

The corpse was turned over in her grave, the head twisted back at an inhuman angle. It was decomposed but her facial features were still prominent enough that it was obvious you were looking at the corpse of a young lady.

“Nothing can prepare you for it,” Agent Karnstein said, her expression almost pitying. Laura hadn’t realized she’d been so closely observing her, she tried to keep her expression impartial.

Laura didn’t respond, she glanced back down at the images for a moment and then backup at Karnstein.

“I think we’re got a death fetishist on our hands, Hollis. Hair and finger nails were missing from all three corpses.”

At that revelation, Laura nodded and looked away from the photos, taking a few deep breaths. Agent Karnstein wasn’t wrong when she had mentioned throwing her in at the deep end for her first case.

“Our plane leaves in three hours…” She turned to question Agent Karnstein who had grabbed up her suit jacket off the back of her chair and swung it over one shoulder.

“Sorry, I don’t underst-” Laura asked, focusing up.

“We’re heading to Minneapolis. I’ll meet you at the airport in a couple hours, Agent Hollis,” Karnstein smiled, smugly as she walked backwards towards the exit as she addressed her and then swiftly turned and disappeared from the office.

“ _Wait_ … what airport? How long are we-” Laura said, taking a few steps through the office toward the exit but finding that her new partner was already long gone. 

A tall man with broad shoulders and a warm smile stood and approached her, “Hi, I’m Kirsch, Wilson Kirsch.”

She shook his hand, still staring toward the door where Karnstein had disappeared.

“Give her time to warm up to you,” Kirsch said with a nod.

“How many partners has she had?” Laura turned to look at him, still feeling a little bewildered after her exchange with her new partner. 

Kirsch looked over at Agent Lawrence who approached, looking solemn, “She’s had one or two, she doesn’t… really play well with others,” she shrugged. 

“So I’ve heard,” Laura sighed. “What airport?” 

“Dulles probably.”

*

Fairview Cemetery, Minneapolis

The two agents had been seated rows away from each other on the flight and Agent Karnstein had been quiet and reserved on the journey to the cemetery in their hired car, only willing to discuss the case as she drove through the city and even then, her comments were brief.

“I told Detective Croft to meet us here,” Karnstein said as she parked up outside of Fairview Cemetery.

Agent Karnstein stepped out of the car, pulled on her dark suit jacket, placed a pair of sunglasses over her eyes and glanced around the cemetery expectantly with an eyebrow raised. Laura followed closely behind as she began to stride off, casting large shadows in the afternoon sun.

“Detective Croft, I’m Agent Karnstein, this is Agent Hollis,” Karnstein said, gesturing to her and holding up her ID badge quickly before pocketing it again in the inside pocket of her jacket.

Detective Croft was middle aged, with greying receding hair, he was wearing a long coat and had a large moustache covering his top lip.

“Ah, Agents, thanks for coming. Let me show you the location,” he turned on his heel, leading them down a dirt path through hundreds of headstones, some ancient looking, some new. “It’s not something I’ve ever come across before and I’ve worked for the P.D for 25 years.”

“It’s rare but certainly not unheard of,” Karnstein responded, shortly.

“This,” he said, coming to a stop and pointing to what on first glance just looked like muddy hole in the ground, “…is the latest... attack.”

A few police officers loitered around the area as if they were guarding it, all a sufficient distance away from the scene. The grave was cordoned off by police tape, Agent Karnstein pulled it up and walked on through, Laura was feeling incredibly reluctant but followed her partner.

“As you’ll know, this is the third grave we’ve found. The other bodies have already been moved to different sites,” Detective Croft said, keeping his distance from the disturbed ground. 

Agent Karnstein stopped once she reached the grave site and stared. Laura was hesitant but approached.

The photo had not shown how truly revolting the scene was, Laura was staring at the corpse of Catherine Tyrell again, except this time it wasn’t a photograph. She covered her mouth and stepped away from the scene unable to hide her discomfort.

Agent Karnstein appeared completely at ease, her hands shoved into the pockets of her suit pants as she studied the scene carefully, lifting her sunglasses away from her eyes, the disturbed mud, the grass around the scene, the head stone, before she turned back to Detective Croft.

“Look for fresh tracks in the area, there’s always the chance we might find something. I’d say the perp probably lives nearby. He may work here but it’s not likely. It’s probable that he has worked in a similar field at one point in time, a different cemetery maybe, that’s worth looking into,” she said coolly, slipping back under the police tape. “Release a statement to the press about a possible stalker in the area, tighten security in morgues, cemetery’s and notify hospitals,” Karnstein said in an almost bored tone as she approached the detective.

“Why release a statement about a stalker? This guy is only interested in dead people,” Croft said, gesturing to the disturbed grave site.

“For now, that’s how it’ll start. There’s a possibility this guy might resort to murder if he can’t access the bodies, it’ll likely escalate from there,” Karnstein said authoritatively.

The conversation muted to Laura’s ears as she found herself staring at the disturbed grave again. She tried to take a few calm breaths, she hadn’t expected to react like this, she was an agent of the FBI, a medical professional too. She’d seen dead bodies, dissected them, studied them. But this was different, this was sickening and horrendous.

“…Hollis? _Agent Hollis?_ _Are you okay?”_

Laura glanced up as Agent Karnstein addressed her, coming around from her internal struggle.

Detective Croft was heading back down the path away from them.

Karnstein was looking at her with an edge of concern.

“Yeah… sorry, yes, I’m fine, Agent Karnstein,” Laura said quietly, nodding and forcing a tight smile onto her face. 

Karnstein didn’t look entirely convinced but pushed on.

“Look, I’m going to head over to the station with Detective Croft. We passed a motel on the way through, why don’t you head over there and see if you can secure us a couple of rooms,” She chucked the keys to the hired car in Laura’s direction as she headed off to follow the detective. Laura grabbed the keys quickly, quietly thankful that Agent Karnstein had given her a task that would give her a little distance from the case for a few hours.

*

Police Station, Minneapolis

It was dark when Laura arrived at the station, she was ushered into Detective Crofts office after showing her ID.

“Agent Hollis,” Karnstein looked up at her quickly, she ran a hand through her hair as she considered a computer in front of her. “Did you get us the rooms?”

Laura nodded and walked slowly around the desk. Karnstein was looking at photos and data on registered criminals in the local area. She’d removed her jacket, rolled up the sleeves on her shirt and looked as though she had unfastened an extra button, the room was stuffy and hot.

“How do you expect to find him from that? It could be anyone,” Laura said, leaning on the desk and looking between her partner and the computer.

Karnstein looked up and regarded her, a small smile forming on her lips. “You tell me, Hollis. Who am I looking for?”

She thought about that question for a moment, this was a test. Karnstein was trying gauge her response. She tried to think as her partner would, use her training and her medical knowledge to produce a sensible response.

“We’re looking for a complex person with compulsions to…” she paused, “… Someone who may have some _difficulties_ with normal social interaction.” Her confidence growing… “From just glancing at the information in front of you, you’re looking for a white male, of average intelligence. Why does he do what he does? He’s been desecrating the corpses of young women, taking hair, finger nails. He probably has some deep hatred for women, wouldn’t be surprised if it somehow stemmed from childhood, his mother for instance.”

Karnstein stared at her for a second or so after she finished speaking and then smiled again.

“Nice, Hollis,” she nodded, looking surprised.

“Impressed?” Laura smiled, feeling a blush rise in her cheeks.

“… I’ll let you know,” Karnstein said, sitting back and running a hand through her hair as their eyes met again.

For the first time in Agent’s Karnstein’s presence Laura felt herself relaxing, a sense of safety she hadn’t felt since arriving in Minneapolis, “You know, you’re not-” 

“ _Agents,”_ Detective Croft strode into the office, sucking in some ragged breaths, “We’ve found a body.”

Karnstein stood immediately, all evidence of their little exchange gone from her face.

“Another grave?”

The detective shook his head, “Fresh.”

“Hair and fingers nails missing?” she asked, pulling on her jacket.

“… And a couple fingers removed too,” Detective Croft said, looking repulsed as he held open the door for them.

*

Shady Alleyway, Minneapolis

Flashing lights from the surrounding police cars were almost blinding in the dark, Laura blinked as she walked through them, an imprint left on her vision, frustrating her as she tried to focus up. 

They approached the scene, Karnstein walked on as Detective Croft spoke.

“By the looks of it, she was probably a prostitute, stabbed in the chest and left for dead here in this alley. There’s a question as to whether the attack took place here or the body was dumped.”

Flashlights were lighting up the scene ahead, Karnstein pulled one from her belt. Laura saw flashes of a dumpster, a few cardboard boxes, some trash littering the floor and then the light caught a pale white arm which she could only assume was connected to the victim.

“Of course we’re still waiting on an ID. Do you want to see the body?”

Karnstein nodded and went to move ahead but Laura held back.

She looked back at Laura questionably. 

“I just need a minute,” Laura waved dismissively.

“Agent Hollis, if you’re having trouble with the case, I’d like you to tell me,” Karnstein said, taking a few steps toward her.

“ _No_. Its um… I’m fine,” she shrugged, uncomfortably. Feeling a sudden immense amount of humiliation that her partner must have thought her weak.

Karnstein nodded and turned, approaching the body.

“The body should be taken for autopsy, it looks like our fears were correct, the fetishist has taken things a step further. With any luck, we’ll get a finger print or DNA from the body to further the investigation,” Karnstein ordered after a few minutes, walking away from the scene.

*

Slumber Motel, Minneapolis

The brown wallpaper that Laura suspected had been red at one point in time was hanging off the walls. The carpet was rough and bare under her feet, as if it had worn away over time. The bed was made and looked presentable but Laura couldn’t help but question the cleanliness. It wasn’t great but it would do.

She sat on the bed with her laptop as she tried to continue writing up her ongoing report, images of the body she’d seen only hours ago seemed to be seared to her eyelids when she closed them, the body found not far from where they were staying right now.

Again, she felt that sense of humiliation with her internal struggle, why was the case affecting her so much? Was she truly not cut out for this type of work?

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it and started to type.

_I am of the opinion that the victim was murdered merely for her hair and fingers. This is one of the most inhuman-_

There was a knock on her motel room door, Laura was momentarily startled.

She felt a little comfort in that she had made sure to lock her door, feeling a little foolish doing so, she grabbed her gun from the bedside as she approached.

“Hello?” Laura said loudly.

She was about to reach out for the closed curtain to get a glimpse of whomever it was when she heard, “Hollis, it’s me.”

Hearing that voice followed with an immediate sense of relief. Laura released a breath and dropped the gun onto the bedsheets. Of course it would be Karnstein, who else would it be?

She unlocked and opened the door, Agent Karnstein’s hair was up away from her face and she was wearing a black muscle tee and sweat pants.

“I’m wired, going for a run. Just wanted to make sure you were okay? This is a hell of a case to start out on,” Karnstein said, leaning a hand on the door frame and looking at Laura expectantly.

Laura blinked, she hadn’t anticipated this from Agent Karnstein. It was too sweet coming from a person who was so cold only several hours ago… Although, they were partners now, she supposed it was Karnstein’s job to check in with her.

“ _Yes,_ yes, I’m fine. I think so. Should you be out at night here?” Laura glanced over her partners shoulder at the dark parking lot and road beyond, “It doesn’t seem like the safest place."

Agent Karnstein huffed a laugh, “No safer than D.C, trust me. Don’t worry about me, Hollis.”

“I’ll try not to.” Laura smiled and a quiet moment passed between them, “So, I guess I’ll see you in the morning…” 

“Bright and early,” Karnstein said with a nod before turning and heading off through the parking lot.

Laura watched her for a few seconds before slowly closing the motel room door.

*

Laura knocked on Agent Karnstein’s door but there was no answer, she knocked again… nothing. The drapes were pulled across her window, she knocked on the window, there was still no response.

Agent Karnstein had wanted to meet bright and early but where the hell was she? Laura had expected her partner to be the one knocking on _her_ door in the morning but she was nowhere to be found. 

Laura pulled out her phone and found Karnstein’s name, the call went straight to voicemail, “This is Carmilla Karnstein, leave a message.”

She ended the call and tried again, “This is Carmilla Karnstein, leave a message.”

Laura frowned, turning to face the parking lot, her eyes landing on the hire car which still sat in front of the motel. Laura still had the keys after driving them both back to the motel last night.

Had Agent Karnstein headed to the station early without her? She did seem the type, she preferred working alone and she hadn’t exactly warmed up to Laura just yet. Had there been another attack? Surely, Karnstein would have let her know?

Laura pulled out of the parking lot in the hire car and headed towards the station.

*

Police Station, Minneapolis

Laura didn’t see Agent Karnstein when she arrived, the place was moderately quiet, it didn’t appear that there had been another attack either. She headed straight for Detective Croft’s office, if she was anywhere, she would be there.

“Agent Hollis, right?” Croft was at his desk, “I haven’t been able to contact your partner this morning but we have good news. It looks like perp wore gloves but we did get a print off the nail polish on the victim’s thumb. We’re getting it sent over for analysis now.”

Croft turned this computer screen to show a zoomed in image of what appeared to be the victims nail with the print clearly visible.

“Agent Karnstein? You haven’t seen her this morning? She’ll want to know about this,” Laura said, her brows furrowing as she looked to the detective.

Laura had an abrupt sense that something was wrong, not quite dread but a sinking feeling that something wasn’t _quite_ right.

“Haven’t seen her this morning,” Croft responded, sitting back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head.

“Neither have I,” Laura mused, frowning with contemplation. Was she over thinking things here? Was she worried about her partner because this case was affecting her?

“There was a phone call,” Croft said, drawing Laura’s attention back to him.

“Phone call?” Laura asked.

“Here at the station, for _you_ last night. An agent from Washington?”

“For _me_?”

“Agent Hollis, yeah,” he nodded. 

“ _Who?_ ”

“Didn’t catch the name, male agent, sounded young.”

Laura frowned. “What did they want?” 

“Asked where you were staying in town, how long… I told him you’d have to call him back. Don’t know why he called the station,” Croft shrugged.

“ _Really?”_

“Wasn’t a particularly long conversation.”

Laura had no idea who would be calling for her from Washington, it seemed odd they would call the station here when there were much easier ways of contacting her. 

She shook her head, brushing it off.

“I’m going to head back to the motel and see if I can catch up with Agent Karnstein,” Laura grabbed a pen off the desk and scribbled down her number, “Call me, if there’s any news, or if Karnstein shows up.”

Outside of the station, Laura dialled her number again, the same voicemail.

“Karnstein, it’s me, where are you? We got a print off the body. Call me back.”

She hopped into the car and sat still for a moment or so, she glanced at the time… 9.12. It was still early… there was always the possibility that her partner had just slept in or had gone for a morning stroll... okay, that seemed unlikely.

She chewed her lip when she thought about the last time she had seen Agent Karnstein, wandering off into the dark streets of Minneapolis for her impromptu workout.

She started the engine, the sooner she found her partner, the sooner they could move forward with this case.

*

Slumber Motel, Minneapolis

She banged her fist against Agent Hollis’ door, “ _Hollis! Open the goddamn door!_ I said, bright and early! I got us coffee, I hope you like bagels,” she said in a quieter tone.

“ _Hollis! Come on!_ ” Carmilla gave the door a kick in frustration. She sighed, what was her partner doing in there?!

She turned, placing the coffee’s and the bag of bagels on the low wall nearby, she pulled out her phone and frowned.

Damn thing was dead. Of course it was.

She couldn’t even wait in the car because Hollis had the keys!

She glanced around the parking lot for the car, frowning when she couldn’t see it. She stepped out, checking every car in the lot. The hired car was gone… and so was Hollis.

She pulled out her phone again and remembered it was dead, she had the sudden urge to chuck the damn thing at the nearest wall. She took a calming breath, she had a feeling this day was going to be one infuriating thing after another.

Where was Hollis _going_ without her?

She turned, grabbed the bagels and cooling coffee and set off towards the police station on foot. 

She was angry at her partner, she was angry at herself. She had been intrigued by Agent Hollis, she was the first partner that Carmilla found she actually didn’t mind so much. Plus, she was cute, which she hadn’t expected. There was something about her that made Carmilla want to know more. 

Carmilla had walked aimlessly for ten minutes this morning searching for a store or somewhere she could grab breakfast for herself and Agent Hollis. That was certainly not something she had done for any of her previous short-lived partners.

She had been genuinely concerned that Hollis was struggling with the case and she still wasn’t entirely convinced that she wasn’t. She frowned as she walked, throwing the breakfast she had just bought in a nearby dumpster in annoyance. She shouldn’t have allowed herself to be drew in by Agent Hollis. How could she be attached to someone after knowing them for less than a day? She’d put a stop to that right now. She didn’t need or want a partner. 

_Where was she?!_

After 10 minutes of walking in the direction of the station, she was able to hail a passing cab, her gaze lingered on the Fairview cemetery as they passed by it and then she folded her arms and relaxed into the seat. She regretted throwing both coffees away in her rage, she could use it right now. Her knee jostled up and down as she waited for the police station to come into view.

“ _Wait! Stop the cab! Pull over_!” She suddenly yelled, sitting up and turning to glance in the rear window to confirm what she had seen.

Carmilla jumped out of the cab, there on the side of the road was their hire car, except… it had swerved off the road into a street light, the hood was sticking up at an angle and the bumper was hanging off. She felt a sense of relief that the crash didn’t look life threatening.

She reached the car quickly and approached the driver’s side door, pulling it open. Hollis wasn’t there, she checked the rest of the car but her partner was nowhere to be seen. Had she gotten out? Carmilla walked around the car swiftly, checked under it, up and down the street but saw no sign of her partner.

Carmilla felt a sudden spike of intense fear, something bad had happened here and her partner was now missing. She turned to the cab driver as he approached.

“Give me your phone,” she ordered, holding out her hand, “ _Now!_ ” she yelled as he took too long searching his pockets.

In seconds, she was dialing the emergency services, “This is Special Agent Carmilla Karnstein with the FBI, I have an emergency. My partner got into a car accident and is now missing-”

*

Police Station, Minneapolis

Carmilla walked agitatedly backwards and forwards in Detective Croft’s office, “Wait, so what you’re telling me is, _no one_ saw _anything?_ ”

She raked a hand through her hair, “ _Nothing at all?!”_

A young officer whose name Carmilla hadn’t yet bothered to learn, took off his hat and wiped at his sweating brow.

“I’m sorry, Agent, we’re still-”

She sighed, gripped the bridge of her nose, “You’re telling me that _no one saw anything_?”

“Not that we know of,” He cleared his throat nervously, fiddling with his hat.

“ _How?_ It doesn’t make any sense? There were _no cameras_ , there were _no witnesses_ to a pretty woman being forced off the road and then _abducted?!”_ Carmilla turned to look at him, angrily.

Carmilla knew this young officer was just doing his job, just like any other officer, just like her but she couldn’t stop herself from yelling at him. This wasn’t happening… how could this be happening? 

“Agent Karnstein,” Detective Croft entered the office. 

“ _What?!_ Do we know anything?” She focused her attention on him.

“The print belongs to a man named Donald Young, he has an apartment about 8 blocks from here-”

“Let’s go,” Carmilla did not need to hear anymore, she grabbed her jacket and was out of the door before Detective Croft.

* 

Young Residence, Minneapolis

The apartment was empty, Carmilla had entered with a team, guns drawn, to find nothing. The glimmer of hope she had been holding onto was fading fast, she kicked over a kitchen chair in a rage while officers searched every corner of the apartment.

She tried to think, she pushed a hand through her hair, she racked her brain… where would this guy go?

“-We’ve found human hair in a bag in Young’s bathroom, 3 fingers were found in the freezer-”

“It _doesn’t matter_ ,” she turned to face Detective Croft, “ _None_ of it matters because my partner is _still missing_ and we have _no goddamn idea where she is!"_

“Agent…”

She turned pulling open a kitchen drawer and then another in a frenzy, searching for something, anything…

“Agent...”

“ _What?!”_ she hissed, taking some ragged breathes.

“There’s a second address.” Croft said, looking over some papers, “Young’s mother, she died six months ago… she had a house, it was left to Young-”

“His _mother_?” Carmilla looked up at him, her brow furrowed.

Croft nodded.

Hollis had been right, she’d mentioned his mother.

“ _That’s it. That’s where she is._ We have to move now, we don’t know how long we have,” Carmilla hurried toward the exit. 

*

Laura felt uncomfortable, _extremely_ uncomfortable.

She blinked open her eyes, where ever she was right now it was dark. She was confused. She tried to suck in a deep breath as she awoke… she came to the sudden realization that she was gagged.

She panicked, twisting her body, quickly becoming aware that something was seriously wrong.

Her hands were tied at the wrists.

She kicked, her foot hit a wall, she pushed with her elbow and banged her head off the wall behind her, a sharp pain stabbed down the side of the head and it began to pulse, she must have sustained a head injury somehow. She gathered she was in a very small space, there was a door to her right, she could see just a small glimmer of light shining from underneath it. The air was musty and dry as if she was trapped in a space which had been left to gather dust for a long time.

She was dizzy, the side of her head was pulsing with pain, she could feel herself about to pass out again…

_Think Hollis, remember the training. Remember the training._

She went for the gag with her tied hands and managed to pull it away from her mouth. She had the urge to shout, but she was wary of making matters worse for herself. She squinted her eyes as she tried to remember her training, a moment of silence past, she gave in and yelled, slowly finding her voice, “Help me! Help me! PLEASE HELP ME!”

Screaming made her head feel worse and she could feel her eyes drooping and her heavy head slumping to one side.

She couldn’t pass out now. She blinked and forced herself to keep her eyes open when a blinding light was suddenly filling the space.

The door had flung open, the silhouette of a tall man was visible in the doorway as light shone through behind him. 

He kneeled and Laura frowned trying to focus on her captor. She was trembling, she wanted to scream again but she couldn’t do it, she couldn’t make a sound. 

His brown hair was parted down the middle as if he took special care to make it sit like that, his nose was long and hooked and his eyes were beady and small.

He leaned close to her, Laura would have tried to move away if she wasn’t already wedged into the corner. “Don’t be afraid,” When he spoke it was raspy and high pitched.

It made Laura shiver, she felt a whirling sensation and thought she might vomit.

He was grabbing for her hands, he grasped them and pulled them closer, looking down at her finger nails intently.

“Don’t touch me!” She yelled, pulling her hands from his grip.

She tried to kick him and caught his leg but he moved swiftly out of the way, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her to her feet.

He touched her hair delicately, Laura tried to squirm away but his fingers tightened in her hair, “You will come with me, I’m running you a bath,” he ordered steadily.

Overwhelming terror set in, Laura glanced around as she was pulled from the space, she had been in a closest in what looked like a bedroom. She tried to pull herself away from her captor but she was weak, another wave of dizziness past over her and she almost fell to the floor.

They walked down a dark hall and then she was shoved into a bathroom. She fell to the floor in a heap, her body ached, agony all over. This was it, she was going to die.

She tried to pull her hands apart, the rope just cut up and burnt her wrists but she kept trying.

She turned over, her captor was leaning over the bath, calmly looking at different bottles of shampoo as if deciding which one was best.

Laura slowly and quietly got to her feet, this might be her only opportunity. Looking around the room for a weapon, anything she could use, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. 

It was now or never, she surged forward toward her captor, pushing him as hard as she could. He fell forward into the bath and freezing cold water splashed up at her. She backed away to the door, her only chance to escape.

She ran down the hall, she was in a house, it looked old, like it had sat untouched for a long time, she tried a few doors but they were all locked.

“You can’t escape. I know this house better than anyone and there’s nowhere to hide…” he yelled in a disturbing sing song voice.

She reached a staircase just as her captor caught up with her, she managed to make it down 4 or 5 steps before he collided with her and they fell down the rest of the steps together.

Laura whined as they lay at the bottom. She couldn’t hold him off now, there was no way. She could feel herself slipping away again.

She could just make out the shiny edge of a knife in her captor’s hand as he climbed on top of her, she tried to make a grab at his arm to hold him off…

“FBI! HANDS IN THE AIR NOW! FBI!”

Laura had never felt relief like it, she was certain she had just been seconds from death.

There was a lot of loud noise and commotion and the weight of her captor was lifted from her.

“ _Agent Hollis, can you hear me?_ _Agent Hollis?”_ That was the appealing voice of her partner she was sure; she felt the constraint around her wrists disappear.

“ _Can we get medic over here! We need a_ _medic! Now!_ ”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Laura mumbled, her vision blurred. She sat up slowly, her partner was kneeling next to her on the floor.

“No, you are not _okay_. You are not _okay_ at all, I’m sorry,” Agent Karnstein said, looking almost angry. 

“I’m okay, I’m fine, I’m okay,” Laura couldn’t stop herself repeating this over and over as if she was trying to convince herself of that. She took some deep breaths.

An unexpected sob suddenly racked her body and she broke, grabbing Agent Karnstein and pulling her close, the only person who felt safe to her in this moment. She clung to her tightly and sobbed in her partners arms.

“I’m sorry, Hollis. I’m so sorry,” Karnstein whispered over and over.

*

University Hospital – Washington D.C

She wasn’t okay but she was alive, she didn’t know when she would ever feel okay again.

Laura lay in her hospital bed, watching the nurses and doctors pass by her door, seeing the sun move across the sky outside, listening to the commotion in the corridors, falling in and out of sleep, waking up in a cold sweat as she relived some of the worst moments of her life.

“Agent Hollis,” Agent Karnstein stood in her doorway.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she walked in slowly, standing at the bottom of the bed apprehensively instead of taking the seat at her bedside, “This… this shouldn’t have happened to you.”

“It shouldn’t happen to anyone,” Laura said, her voice hoarse, she placed down a pamphlet a nurse had given her about rehabilitation. 

Karnstein nodded, “I understand if you decide… to give it up,” she said, meeting Laura’s gaze.

She gave that one moment of serious consideration, it seemed in that moment that was exactly what she wanted to do. Walk away from the Bureau and never look back but she knew she wouldn’t necessarily feel the same in the coming weeks or days, she just needed time.

She looked to her partner, dressed today in a dark blue suit, sunglasses perched on top of her head, hands in her pants pockets as she seemed to bounce up and down hesitantly on the balls of her feet.

“You won't be rid of me that easily, Karnstein,” Laura said with a small smile that disappeared quickly.

And to her surprise, Karnstein smiled back.

She walked around the bed and took the seat to Laura’s right.

“How’s your head?” Karnstein nodded towards the chunky bandage wound around the top of her head.

She shrugged, “According to the doctor, I’ll have a couple months of headaches to put up with but I’ll live.”

“I’m sorry… I thought we might not get to you in time. I found the car but you were gone,” she frowned as she recalled her memories.

“But you did get to me in time,” Laura gave another small smile.

“We got the guy from the print which was fortunate, his name was Donald Young. You were right, Hollis, _that was_ his mother’s house,” she smiled solemnly. “He must have been tracking us somehow, he must have known we were investigating him, he knew about us… about _you_.”

“There was a phone call…” Laura said quietly, staring at the wall ahead.

“What?” Karnstein looked to her curiously. 

“The night before… a man called the station looking for me. He claimed to be an agent from Washington, it was him. He already knew my name.”

“He had booked a room… in the same motel we were staying in, that could have been a coincidence. I keep trying to remember if I’d seen him that night but… I don’t know,” Agent Karnstein sighed and shook her head.

Laura didn’t say a word as she digested this information.

Karnstein placed a wary hand on Laura’s forearm, “You’re safe now, Hollis. This guy will be behind bars for the rest of his life.”

She nodded slowly, she knew this. Though she still didn’t feel very safe right now. 

Karnstein looked up as an older man entered the room, quickly removing her hand from Laura’s arm.

“Hi, Dad,” Laura smiled weakly.

“Honey! _I’m here, I’m here_ , I came as soon as I could.”

Laura couldn’t stop herself from crying, an overwhelming sense of relief and protection at seeing her dad, she sat up and pulled him into a hug.

“I’ll see you soon, Agent Hollis,” Agent Karnstein murmured quietly, getting up and disappearing quickly from the room before Laura even had a chance to register what was happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this fic is taken from a Foo Fighters song of the same name.


	2. The Mentalist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X-Files episode - S3 Pusher

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

Laura hadn’t known what to expect when she thought she’d drop by the office at almost 6pm, the corridors were quiet, mostly deserted and when she rounded the corner, the office was dark apart from one light shining in the corner.

She certainly hadn’t expected to see Agent Karnstein sat with her feet crossed up on her desk, her white sleeves on her slightly disheveled shirt rolled up to the elbows. There was file open on her lap, she was reading what appeared to be quite a lengthily report.

“What you got there?” Laura said, after slipping silently into the office.

“ _Agent Hollis_ ,” Karnstein obviously wasn't expecting to be disturbed, she turned and removed her legs quickly from the desk. “What are you- I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.” Her eyes assessed Laura from head to foot and then lingered on the small red line of the almost healed wound on the right of her forehead. 

“Trust me, Agent Karnstein, I’d feel much better here at work than at home on my own. I’ve just got out of a meeting with the counsellor actually, that’s kinda why I’m here right now,” Laura said gesturing around before tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “I’m officially back on active duty.”

“Are you sure? It’s been little over a week, Agent Hollis-”

“I’m sure. So, what are you working on?” Laura smiled, she moved over to her mostly unused desk next to Karnstein’s and turned her chair to face her.

Karnstein regarded her for a moment before she hit a key on the keyboard of her computer and the screen lit up, revealing a photograph of a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, his nose was wonky as if it had been broken at one time.

“His name is Robert Purewal,” Karnstein began “He has evaded and escaped capture three times.”

Karnstein began to skim through the pages in her file as if she were searching for a particular document.

“What interest is this case to you? It doesn’t sound like something you’d work on,” Laura said, moving her chair closer to Karnstein’s desk.

She looked up at Laura, “Robert confessed to several murders just over two months ago, he made a call to another agent in the Bureau. The bizarre thing was, the cases to which he confessed were all were clear-cut suicides… or thought to be. The confession was at first assumed to be a prank but Purewal knew too much about each case.”

“Okay…” Laura said, siting forward in her chair and waiting for Karnstein to continue.

“Two nights ago, Purewal got picked up by the FBI in Virginia and within 20 minutes he somehow walked away, a free man,” Karnstein said, holding up a page in the report.

“I don’t understand,” Laura shook her head. 

“Neither do I. It’s almost like…. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, he _hypnotises people_ or something. He seems to be able to somehow… convince police, agents or whoever to just let him go. It’s like a game to him.” Karnstein said, shaking her head at her own ridiculous sounding words.

Laura smiled, her eyes dropping to the desk.

Karnstein dropped the report down on the desk and gripped the bridge of her nose as if saying those words out loud caused her immense embarrassment. 

“Well, that’s obviously not the case,” Laura responded.

“I know that,” Karnstein looked unsure, “But all of the murders… they _looked_ like suicides. According to this report, he convinced an agent to shoot himself with his own gun, _how can someone do that_?” Karnstein met her gaze and the question hung in the air.

“Do you _believe_ this?” Laura’s eyebrows drew together as she assessed her partner.

“I don’t know,” Karnstein shrugged, “I believe in the power of suggestion, I guess.”

Laura chewed her lip as she considered Agent Karnstein’s words.

“So where is he now?” 

“Virginia somewhere?” Karnstein sat up and placed the file in her desk draw. “I leave in the morning if you’re up for it, Agent Hollis?”

Karnstein stood, pulling on her jacket as Laura considered the offer. She wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at the idea but the case seemed interesting. She was back on duty now, she _should_ work this case with her partner. 

“Sure, _someone_ needs to keep an eye on you,” Laura smiled.

Karnstein met her gaze but didn’t respond, she just lifted her chin and regarded her for a few seconds before leaning down to switch off her computer. Laura wondered whether she’d said too much, she didn’t seem to react well to her attempt at friendly banter.

“8 am.” Was all her partner said and Laura nodded.

“You’d better head home, Agent Hollis, I imagine tomorrow will be a long day,” Agent Karnstein said as she headed for the exit. 

*

Greenlawn General Hospital, Virginia

Agent Karnstein held open the door for Laura as they walked into a patient’s room. This was the room of a Special Agent Lehane, she had been injured and her partner killed during a face-off with Purewal.

There were a few bunches of flowers at her bedside and what looked like an untouched lunch. 

She looked asleep, Laura assessed her quickly, she had some bruising on her face and her arm was in plaster. She opened her eyes as Laura approached her bedside.

“Agent Lehane, I’m Agent Laura Hollis, and this is my partner, Agent Karnstein, we were hoping to ask you a few questions,” Laura held up her ID and glanced over her shoulder at Karnstein who approached her side.

“I don’t remember much, I’ve already told the other agents,” Lehane mumbled, sitting up a little in her bed.

“What happened that night?” Karnstein asked.

Laura frowned in her direction at her unnecessary brusqueness.

“What do you remember?” Laura asked, encouragingly. 

“All I know is, my partner was talking to Purewal and actually it seemed he might even come quietly, if I’m honest with you, he seemed like a really nice guy. I don’t know why, I just _liked him.”_ Lehane gave a little shrug as she recalled the events of that night, she stared at her bed sheets.“He reached over and he touched my partners arm, he was talking to him... whispering, and then all of a sudden my partner pulled out his gun and shot himself in the head... right in front of me.”

Lehane swallowed, grimacing at the memory.

Laura looked across at Karnstein who met her gaze, she raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I know this is hard for you, Agent Lehane, but… what happened next?” Laura asked. 

Lehane shook her head. “I don’t remember but Purewal got away.”

“Don’t blame yourself, I’m sure you know this guy has evaded arrest a number of times,” Laura tried to give a reassuring smile.

“Thank you, Agent,” Karnstein was already heading for the door.

“I hope you get well and thank you for your time. I'm so sorry about your partner,” Laura said before following her partner out.

“What are you thinking?” Laura asked as they reached the corridor outside.

Karnstein sighed and shook her head, frustrated, “I’m thinking… I’m thinking, I don’t know what I’m thinking. It doesn’t make any sense, none of it.”

“I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of _anything_ like this,” Laura ran a hand through her hair. "It's... strange."

“There’s an Agent Walker at the FBI field office not far from here, I suggest we head there and try and dig up as much information on this guy as we can.”

*

FBI Offices, Virginia

Karnstein was sat at a desk with a cooling cup of coffee, she was staring at her gun in her hand when Laura entered the small office they had taken up residence in.

“What are you doing?” She frowned in her direction as she looked up from the papers she was arranging.

“Imagining what it would be like to shoot myself in the head without a second thought,” Agent Karnstein said, looking up at Laura as if what she had just said wasn’t at all unusual. 

“ _Why?”_ Laura paused.

Karnstein shrugged as she slid her gun back into its holster at her side, “The agent shot himself, what had Purewal said to the guy to make him _do_ that?”

“No idea. Let’s not dwell on it,” Laura said, placing the papers down in front of her partner. “Whilst you were doing _that_ , I’ve managed to dig up some more information on Robert Purewal.”

“Let me guess, he’s a regular guy, average intelligence, standard job, normal everything?” Karnstein said as she grabbed up the papers and began to glance over them quickly 

“Pretty much, but… look at his medical records,” Laura smiled proudly at her discovery, raising her brows, watching Karnstein closely as she reviewed the records.

She took a seat in the chair opposite and briefly wondered how Karnstein would react if she asked for sip of her coffee… she thought better of it, they weren’t quite _there_ yet.

Karnstein’s eyebrows rose in apparent surprise as she read the information, she glanced up at Laura and then back down at the papers.

“He’s…” She frowned.

“ _Dying?_ Yes,” Laura nodded, “Brain tumour and if that information is correct, Purewal will most likely be dead in... maybe six months.”

Karnstein’s brow furrowed as she contemplated this new information, “He doesn’t care, that’s why he’s doing this… playing this game with the feds. He… he _wants_ to die.” 

“But it still doesn’t explain _how_ he’s doing all this? Any new theories?” Laura asked.

Agent Karnstein looked up from the papers, “Not exactly. I’ve come to the conclusion this guy is some kind of expert mentalist. He’s studied mentalism or hypnotism and that’s how he’s doing it.”

“You really believe that?”

Karnstein sighed and sat back in her chair, she ran a hand through her hair, exacerbated.

“How else is he doing it, Hollis?” She asked, they locked eyes.

“What if all those murders he confessed to genuinely _were_ suicides?” 

“And what about the officer who shot himself? What about convincing the feds to let him go?” Karnstein crossed her arms.

There was knock on the glass window and Karnstein sat up as Agent Walker, a tall, young, good looking man, entered the room.

“Agent,” Karnstein said by way of a greeting.

“We have a lead, Agents. There was a 911 call made 15 minutes ago, a report of gun fire in an old abandoned hospital only about 6 blocks from here, two officers were sent to the scene but neither have reported back.”

“What makes you think it’s Purewal?” Laura asked, “It could be anyone.”

“Purewal’s car is parked outside the building.” 

Karnstein stood, “Grab your team, we need that building surrounded.”

*

Abandoned Building, Virginia

Darkness was beginning to settle over the city as Laura stepped down from the back of the van they had just arrived in. The building must have been abandoned some time ago, few windows were boarded and graffiti covered most of the outside. 

Agent Karnstein was already disappearing into the throng of agents preparing themselves for the operation. Laura found her conversing with Agent Walker as she slipped her suit jacket off her shoulders and pulled on a bullet proof vest.

“Are you sure that’s the best plan, Agent?” Walker asked, looking unconvinced about something.

“What _is_ the plan?” Laura asked, looking around at the building and back at Karnstein.

“I’m going in on my own,” Karnstein said as an agent handed her an ear piece which she inserted into her ear.

“ _What?”_ Laura looked to her partner in alarm as she processed her words. _“Why would you do that?!”_

“Because no one else can get hurt. If I go in there with you or with other agents and Purewal works his mind magic on me, I could hurt _you_ or anyone else. We’ve got a team surrounding the building, this guy can’t go anywhere. I’m going to talk to him and we’ll get him to come in.” 

“ _Are you out of your mind?_ This is an _obvious_ set up! If Purewal was hiding out in there, he wouldn’t have left his car out front, he _wants_ to be found! This guy is _suicidal_ , Karnstein! You have _no idea_ what’s waiting for you in there,” Laura yelled, placing a hand on her partners forearm as she appeared to be more interested in checking her gun than listening to what Laura had to say.

“Wish me luck, Agent Hollis,” Karnstein responded.

“ _No_ , you’re not going in there on your own,” Laura said, grabbing a bullet proof vest for herself.

“Hollis, that’s the plan. Grab an ear piece so I’ll be able to talk to you. If there’s any problems, send the team in after me. Someone has to try and reason with this guy and I’d rather no one else got hurt.”

“And what about you? What if _you_ get hurt?” Laura said, following Agent Karnstein as she headed toward the building, scrambling to pull on her vest.

“I guess that’s just a risk I’ll have to take,” Karnstein said with a smirk as she walked up the steps of the building. 

Laura almost followed her, she sucked in a deep breath and was about to ascend the steps when Agent Walker called her name, she watched Agent Karnstein disappear into the building.

“Hollis, you’ll need an ear piece!” Walker yelled.

She chewed her lip, looked up at the doors before walking back toward Agent Walker.

She grabbed her ear piece quickly, putting it on.

“Agent Karnstein, do you copy?” Laura said, frowning at the ground. 

“This place looks like it might have been a refuge for homeless folk at some point,” Karnstein responded.

“Do you see anything?” Laura asked, looking back toward the building.

“Not yet…” Karnstein’s smooth, calm, voice replied.

She heard a sharp intake of breath.

“What’s happening, Karnstein?” Laura urged, her heart was beating hard against her chest.

“Two bodies, Hollis, the officers… they’ve been shot to death, looks like one shot the other and then killed himself… just like the others.”

“Stop, don’t go any further, wait for back up,” Laura said, she wanted to punch something, she took a few steps back toward the building.

_Why’d she let her partner do this? Wasn’t this exactly why she’d been assigned to the job? To reign her in? To stop her from breaking the rules... this definitely wasn't protocol._

“I just heard a noise coming from a room at the end of the hall,” Karnstein whispered.

“ _Don’t_ go in there on your own!” Laura spoke through gritted teeth, she signalled for Agent Walker to follow her toward the building as she withdrew her gun.

“Karnstein?”

“ _Agent Karnstein?_ ” Laura tapped her ear piece.

“I’m coming to find you,” Laura said, quickly ascending the stairs, she signalled for the team to hold back.

Laura flung open the door, holding her gun at eye level at she assessed the area.

“Karnstein? Can you hear me?” she asked.

She received no response.

Laura walked down a corridor, breathing heavily, she pushed open another door and looked left and then right, spotting the bodies of the police officers. She stepped around them, looking around wildly for any sign of her partner.

The building was eerily quiet, she had expected to hear something by now.

She kept walking, turned a corner and stood still, she heard a male voice in a room at the end of the corridor.

She silently hurried towards it, entering the room. Laura felt relief finding Karnstein with a gun pointed at Purewal’s head.

“Welcome, Agent…?” Purewal glanced away from Karnstein to her and then back.

Laura pointed her gun at him. 

“I’m Agent Hollis and we’re not alone but I'm sure you're already aware of that. There’s a team of agents surrounding the building, so you might as well just give it up now,” She glanced between Purewal and her partner.

She frowned when she realized Agent Karnstein hadn’t moved an inch, the gun she was holding was not hers.

“You’ve arrived just in time, Agent Hollis. We’re playing a game of Russian roulette… do you know what that is?”

“Agent Karnstein,” Laura spoke to her partner but received no response.

“There’s one bullet in the chamber of that revolver Agent Karnstein has pointed at me. Come on, Agent, _pull the trigger!”_

Barely a second later, Laura heard the distinct sound of the trigger being pulled but only silence followed.

Purewal smiled manically.

Laura took a step closer.

“ _Agent Karnstein_ ,” she demanded.

“Shoot yourself,” Purewal touched the back of Karnstein’s hand and without a second thought, she pointed the gun towards her own head.

 _“No! Karnstein, what are you-”_

She ran over, reaching for Karnstein’s arm but she heard the snap of the trigger before she had a chance to do anything.

 _“No! Stop this! Please-”_ Laura yelled, she was suddenly pushed and she hit the floor hard, her head receiving a particularly hard blow.

Exactly what she needed, another head injury.

Laura turned over and reached for her gun which had fallen a few feet away.

And when she looked up, the revolver was pointing directly at her.

“Shoot her,” Purewal said, calmly.

Laura sucked in a breath… 

Karnstein slowly turned to look at her, their eyes locked.

“Karnstein, you don’t have to do this, you can fight him. This isn’t you,” Laura said, slowly siting up.

“ _Hollis_ …” Karnstein spoke through gritted teeth, her hand began to shake.

“ _Shoot Agent Hollis!”_ Purewal yelled.

“ _Carmilla,_ please _…_ ”

Karnstein blinked, her hand stopped shaking.

“ _Do it_ ,” Purewal urged again.

Laura squeezed her eyes closed.

She heard the sound of the gun firing and she waited for impact…

Nothing happened…

She opened her eyes, just in time to see Robert Purewal fall to the ground, Karnstein kept pulling the trigger with determination even though there were evidently no more bullets in the gun.

“ _Karnstein_ ,” Laura scrambled to her feet, placing a hand on her partners wrist.

The gun dropped to the floor and Agent Karnstein began to shake, covering her face with her hands.

“Karnstein,” Laura placed a comforting hand on the top of her arm. 

She could hear the other agents entering the building and heading toward them. 

“Are you okay?” Laura asked.

“I could’ve shot you,” Karnstein whispered, she shook uncontrollably. “I could’ve killed you.”

“You didn’t,” Laura said, reaching for her partners hand and pulling it away from her face, “You were stronger,” Laura said as they made eye contact.

“Hollis…” Karnstein sucked a shaky breath. 

“Come on…” She said, ushering her toward the door as Agents filed into the room. “Let’s get out of here.”

She kept a hold her partners hand as they left the building, “Thanks for not shooting me,” she smiled warmly.

Karnstein didn’t respond but she squeezed Laura’s hand tightly before letting go, she appeared to have pulled herself together somewhat as they approached Agent Walker.

"What happened in there?" Agent Walker asked.

Laura looked to Agent Karnstein, who blinked and shook her head, "He... um... he's shot, I don't know if he's dead."

She didn't go into any details. 

“Looks like we’ll have one hell of a report to write up,” Laura said as she holstered her gun. 

* 

Laura’s apartment, Arlington,Virginia 

Laura sighed as she finally climbed into bed in the early hours of the morning, Karnstein had been mostly quiet and reserved on the three-hour drive back to D.C, once they’d reached headquarters they’d both gone their separate ways after brief goodbyes. Laura could understand Karnstein’s detachment, she’d been through something extremely traumatic tonight and hadn’t had any time to process what had happened. Laura had never seen her so vulnerable before in the moments after she shot Purewal and she wondered whether Karnstein was uncomfortable displaying that.

“What was it like?” Laura had said quietly in the car as she drove, “What was it like when he… got inside your head?”

Karnstein glanced at her, she sighed, “When he spoke to me, it was as if he just understood me and I him. It was… It was like everything he said, everything he told me to do was right. There was no alternative.”

“How did you resist him?” Laura glanced quickly at her partner as she stared out of the passenger’s side window.

“You stopped him,” Karnstein said quietly.

“ _Me?_ I didn’t do anything,” Laura frowned.

“You got through to me,” she wouldn’t meet Laura’s gaze.

Karnstein squeezed her hand into a fist uneasily and Laura knew she should probably just let it go but she needed to know.

“No, you were fighting it, I watched you.”

“Why don’t you just be glad I didn’t shoot you,” Karnstein said, sharply.

“But you had no problem pulling the trigger when the gun was pointed at your own head.”

As happy and as grateful Laura was that everything had worked out and both of them were safe, there was still something bothering her, something she couldn’t let go of. Karnstein had placed that gun against her head and pulled the trigger so easily, she didn’t try to resist, she didn’t try to save herself.

Laura lay in bed staring at the ceiling, that same thought was still bothering her.

The vibration of her phone drew her attention as she reached over to her nightstand to grab it.

Karnstein was calling.

“Hello?” Laura spoke hesitantly .

“Hi, it’s me,” Karnstein replied.

“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Laura was already preparing to jump out of bed.

“Yeah…” A quiet moment followed, “Just wanted to check on you, make sure you were okay that’s all. My heads all over the place, Hollis.” Karnstein sighed.

“I’m fine, Karnstein. It’s you that I’m worried about,” Laura felt some relief they were not in any immediate danger, she was starting to expect it.

“No need to worry about me, I’m just swell,” Karnstein said sarcastically.

“Karnstein… You’re a good person you know and you’re a great agent. And you may act all cold and disaffected but I know you care. You’re decent and you’re strong and your heart is in the right place. If I’m honest, I’m honored to be your partner.”

“Wow. What’s gotten into you, Hollis?” Karnstein huffed in apparent shock.

“Just don’t… Don’t be so quick to pull the trigger next time, okay, Karnstein?” Laura said, assertively.

She was quiet for a moment

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, those reports won’t write themselves,” Laura smiled.

“Bright and early,” Karnstein responded before she hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the amazing positive response to this fic so far. 
> 
> Sarah x


	3. The Stakeout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X-Files episode - Chimera (S7)

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

Laura nodded politely at a passing agent as she walked toward her office with a file under her arm. She’d just finished up a meeting with Assistant Director Belmonde regarding how she’d settled into her new assignment, (it hadn’t exactly been the easiest few weeks) and she’d been mildly surprised when Belmonde had handed her a file at the end and asked if her and her partner could take over a case. It struck Laura as significant, it meant a lot, just having the file handed to _her_. It meant she was respected, that she was trusted.

She smiled as she entered the office, fixing a crooked lapel of her dark jacket, she felt confident and content. For the first time since she’d graduated from the academy she felt like a real agent of the FBI.

Karnstein was currently a no show, Laura smiled at Agent Kirsch as she passed his desk and offered a good morning. Agent Lawrence jumped up and came around to Laura’s side. 

“Good morning. How are you, Laura?” Lawrence smiled warmly and drew her long red hair over one shoulder.

“I’m good, really good. It’s been a tough couple weeks I’ll admit but I’m finally starting to feel like I’ve found my place now. How are you, Agent Lawrence?” Laura asked.

“Oh, please call me Danny, it always feels so weird calling everyone by their last names around here,” She gave a casual dismissive wave. “Glad to see you’re still here, Karnstein must like you,” Lawrence followed Laura over to her desk.

“Not entirely sure about that, wouldn’t go as far as to say she _liked_ me. Puts up with me, maybe,” Laura gave a small shrug as she reached to switch on her computer.

“Trust me, if she didn’t like you, you’d-”

“Hey, Agent Orange,” Agent Karnstein appeared, bumping into Lawrence with her shoulder as she passed, “That’s my desk and _my partner,”_ she smirked before sitting down and swinging her chair around to face her desk.

Danny scowled at the back of Karnstein’s head and smiled at Laura before she wandered back over to her own desk across the office.

Laura took her seat, “So…” she began, turning to Agent Karnstein, “I just got out of a meeting with the Assistant Director and she gave me this,” Laura handed the file over to her partner. “Looks like we’ve been assigned to a stake out.”

“Stake out? Where?” Carmilla glanced up at her and then opened the file. 

“Six missing women, all known prostitutes in the city,” Laura said, watching Karnstein closely as she began to glance over the papers.

“A fellow prostitute?” She looked up at Laura and raised her brows.

“Possibly. This woman…” Laura pointed to a low-quality photo attached to the report, “has been seen with several of the prostitutes just before they disappeared.”

“The police have attempted arrest her twice, but… they couldn’t find her, she keeps disappearing. She enters the club, she never leaves. The police go in, she isn’t there.”

“So,” Laura continued, “The FBI have been staking out the building across the street from the club that they frequent in hopes that she’ll show.”

“A possible female serial killer? That’s rare…” Karnstein mused as she looked through the file.

Laura nodded.

“These women who have disappeared… what’s the latest?”

“They’re all still missing…”

Laura watched Karnstein’s eyes scan the pages of a report swiftly, her lower lip slipping between her teeth as her brow furrowed.

“Belmonde wants us on this?” She looked up.

Laura nodded, “Why? Is there a problem?”

She shook her head, “Been a while since I’ve been on a stake out…”

“My first,” Laura smiled, meeting her partners gaze.

“You won’t be smiling in fourteen hours’ time, Hollis, trust me,” Karnstein smirked at her, before turning back to her computer.

* 

Another Abandoned Building, Washington D.C

The FBI had been staking out an apartment in an old building across the street from the club. The room they were operating in had graffiti covered walls and smelt damp, the building must have been abandoned for a decade. It was littered with old food packets and paper coffee cups, left by agents before them. The view from the window to the club across the street was the best they could get whilst trying to remain inconspicuous. Karnstein sat with her eye to the telescope as she watched the comings and goings of people in the street below.

It was 4am and they’d been alternating staring out of this window for thirteen hours, their suspect was currently a no show.

“ _Anything?_ ” Laura asked again, sitting up in her extremely uncomfortable chair next to Karnstein and realising she may have just nodded off, she pulled her jacket tighter around her, there was a chill in the air.

“No, but I think you drooled on me,” Karnstein sipped coffee from a paper cup.

Laura’s eyes widened at that statement and she leaned an inch or two away from her partner.

“We’re not getting _anywhere_ here…” Laura sighed, running a hand through her hair and covering her face with her hands, she was exhausted.

“Patience, Hollis. I told you this wouldn’t be fun,” Karnstein looked away from the scope towards her with a small smile. “Don’t fall asleep again. I need you awake.”

“I’m tired. Why can’t you talk to me?” Laura crossed her arms and slouched a little lower in her foldable metal chair.

Her partner stared through the view finder.

“What do you do in your free time?” Laura asked, after a yawn.

Karnstein looked over at her and then back through the scope, “I read,” was all she said.

“I don’t know anything about you,” Laura studied her partner closely.

“Good, I don’t want to lose my air of mystery, do I?” Karnstein muttered.

Laura shook her head and sighed, a few moments of silence past, Karnstein watched through her scope. Laura yawned three times.

She chuckled suddenly, Laura turned her head so quickly she almost got whiplash. Karnstein had chuckled, she did not recall ever having heard Agent Karnstein laugh before but that sound was _very_ pleasing. Laura stared at her, her smile was genuine and she licked her lower lip before she turned to Laura and said, “Check out the guy down there in the red cowboy boots.”

Laura sat up in her chair and peered down into the street, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the gentleman with awful fashion sense.

“Now that’s a crime if I’ve ever seen one,” Laura joked.

Karnstein smiled and shook her head as if she was refraining from laughing at Laura’s comment.

“Your type?” Agent Karnstein replied with a smirk in her direction.

“ _So_ not my type,” Laura giggled.

“Yeah? Got a boyfriend, Hollis?” Karnstein sipped her coffee.

“ _Ha!_ Boyfriend? No… not really into _guys_ ,” she met Karnstein’s gaze and sat up in her chair, she didn’t feel so tired anymore.

Karnstein blinked over at her in apparent surprise, “ _Wow…_ and I’m meant to be good at reading people. Hollis, I had no idea,” she peered back through the scope.

“Was it not in my file somewhere?”

She huffed a laugh, “Must have skipped over that part.”

“What about you? Seeing anyone? Married? Kids?” Laura inched closer with every question she asked.

Was she _finally_ going to learn a thing or two about her partner?

Karnstein just smirked, shook her head and didn’t look away from the window.

“Married to the job,” She said after a moment, she smiled as if she expected a humorous response to follow.

Laura scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Are you for real?”

A quiet moment passed.

“I was engaged once…” Karnstein spoke.

Laura looked over, she hadn’t been expecting that. “ _Really?_ What happened?”

“Her name was Elle,” Karnstein did not look away from the scope.

“It was a _woman_?” Laura asked unthinking, a pitch or two higher than normal, she cleared her throat and hoped Karnstein wouldn’t notice her blush.

Karnstein smiled, “When I was studying at Harvard. It didn’t work out though.” 

“Why?”

She shrugged, “She slept with somebody else… a number of somebody else’s actually.”

“That’s really crap,” Laura frowned.

“I don’t blame her. I wasn’t exactly the best girlfriend. If I’m honest I cared more about my studies and my career.” Karnstein glanced at her quickly. 

“Do you have family?” Laura asked, she wondered how long her partner would talk for, Laura would take what she could get.

“Mom and a brother.” 

Laura nodded, “Just my dad, my mom died when I was a baby.”

Carmilla nodded, sipped her coffee and continued to stare out of the window.

“My dad was an agent, he got shot and died on duty. I was thirteen,” She spoke after a moment or so. 

Laura’s mouth dropped open at that revelation, “I- I’m so sorry,” she reached out and grasped her partners forearm.

Karnstein looked down at her hand but didn’t attempt to push her away.

“It doesn’t matter, Hollis,” she half shrugged.

“Is that- Is that why you joined the Bureau?”

“…Guess that was a part of it,” Karnstein mumbled.

“Why did you join? You had a promising career in medicine?” Karnstein asked a question of her own. 

“It seemed exciting, the FBI wanted me, it was nice to be recruited, I guess.”

“Why medicine?” She asked another.

“Um… I wanted to help people. One of my teachers at school told me I’d make a good doctor. I got the grades, I knew I was smart enough. So, I just went for it. My dad was so proud but when I joined the Bureau… not so much.”

“Why?”

“He’s always been a protective father, he lost my mother and I guess he was scared of losing me too. He didn’t want me to join the FBI.”

“I guess his feelings haven’t changed much considering what happened to you on your first case,” Karnstein drank the last of her coffee.

“Nope, worse now if anything,” Laura shook her head.

She slouched in her chair, trying to find a comfy position, “What do you think of Danny?”

“Who?” Karnstein’s brow furrowed.

“Agent Lawrence,” Laura smiled.

Karnstein blinked, “I didn’t realise you and Lawrence were on a first name basis.”

Laura shrugged, “I mean, _she seems nice_ , she makes time for me.”

“We don’t exactly see eye to eye.”

“Why?” Laura stared at her partner.

She seemed to consider that question for a moment, “We graduated from the academy around the same time. Lawrence has… always been a stickler for the rules, and sometimes I find it difficult to follow them. I got real lucky with one of my first cases and kinda made a name for myself and she didn’t like that.” 

Karnstein sat up in her chair, stretching her hands above her head, “Take over for me. I’m starved, I’ll grab us some food... and more coffee, we’re going to need it.”

“Can you-”

“I’m not getting more cookies, I _never_ want to eat cookies _again_. We need real food, Hollis,” Karnstein said, raising her brows at her partner and then peeking through the view finder one last time.

She sucked in a breath.

“ _Call for back up_ ,” Karnstein said suddenly, reaching down to the floor for the file and the picture of the suspect.

“Huh?” Laura sat up quickly.

“She’s there. _She’s down there!”_ Karnstein stood and grabbed the camera off the floor and began to quickly snap photographs.

Laura moved over and looked through the scope, their suspect was currently conversing with two women on the sidewalk outside the club. “It’s definitely her,” she whipped out her phone to make the call.

“Stay here, I’m going to follow her,” Karnstein said, shoving the camera towards Laura and heading straight for the door without question.

“ _What?!”_ Laura turned in her chair.

“This might be our only chance to intercept her before she disappears again. I need you to watch her while I can’t, if she moves you need to-”

“Um… _wait a second_ ,” Laura peered through the telescope.

“What is it?” Karnstein asked impatiently.

“You _might_ wanna see this,” Laura said, she turned slowly in her chair to face her partner with a look of absolute bewilderment.

Karnstein sighed but moved back across the room toward the window quickly and peered into the scope. “Where is sh- _Huh?_ ”

She glanced at Laura and then back, “She’s…”

“That must be how she’s been disappearing. She’s not a she… she’s a _he,”_ Laura explained.

Down in the street below, their suspect had whipped off their wig revealing they were in fact disguised. They were talking theatrically with the other women on the street below, waving their wig around.

Karnstein smiled, standing up and watching the scene through the window. “Let’s go talk to them.”

Karnstein was already pulling out her ID as they approached the women and the suspect on the street outside.

“Hi, I’m Special Agent Karnstein and this is my partner, Special Agent Hollis. We’re here investigating a series of disappearances of women who frequent this club,” she pointed, talking loudly over the music emanating from the establishment and busy sidewalk.

Some of the women on the sidewalk made an immediate bee line for the club and the suspect yelled, _“Wait, no! Ladies, wait!”_

“What’s your name?” Karnstein said, taking a step closer as she pocketed her ID.

“Michael. Michael Carter,” he spoke in a defeated tone and fiddled with his blonde wig, his makeup was impeccable.

Michael was dressed similarly to many of the women you’d see frequenting this street, it was only when you got close to him, could you see that he was not one of them.

“We’ve been looking for you… or your alter ego.” Karnstein said, looking down at the wig and then back up.

“I know where they are,” Michael said, “The women who have disappeared.”

Karnstein’s brow furrowed.

“Where are they?” Laura asked.

“I run at a half-way house about 5 blocks from here. I’ve been helping these women.”

“You’ve been _helping_ them?”

“Helping them get out of this life,” he nodded.

“ _Oh_ …” Karnstein seemed to understand, “So, you dress as a fellow prostitute, make friends with the women here…”

“And I help them…” He nodded, “I’m not a bad guy, I teach them about the Lord! About our Savior!” he smiled.

Laura blinked and bit back a smile, “Right…”

Agent Karnstein rolled her eyes and took a few steps away, pulling out her phone, she spoke for a few seconds before returning.

“Mr Carter, please don’t go anywhere. Two agents are going to arrive very shortly. You will direct them to this half way house you speak of and to _all_ of the missing women.” Karnstein ordered.

Mr Carter nodded energetically.

“Great. Now me and my partner here can go home,” Karnstein placed a hand on Laura’s back for a moment as they turned to leave.

“So…” Laura smiled, “That was totally unexpected…”

“Never a dull moment,” Karnstein responded, their shoulders bumped together as they walked.

“I dunno, the last fourteen hours were _kinda_ dull,” Laura mused with a smile. 

“How would you know, you spent most of it asleep,” Agent Karnstein responded, slipping her hands into her pants pockets.

“Hey! That’s not true and you know it,” Laura giggled.

“I’m just glad it’s over,” Karnstein said, glancing up at the slowly brightening sky as sunrise approached.

“And there’s no murders to investigate and it’s a nice happy ending for once,” Laura reflected.

“Don’t jinx us, Hollis.” 


	4. The Lonely Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X-Files episode - 2Shy  
> I also took a line of dialogue from season 5 ep - Detour

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

“Good morning,” Carmilla hadn’t been expecting Agent Hollis’ soft voice so close to her ear, she involuntarily sat up a little straighter and sucked in a breath. Before she could turn to face her partner, an arm came around and a cup of coffee was placed on the desk in front of her.

She glanced around just as Hollis was moving away toward her own desk, “Another case?” 

Had it been anyone else, Carmilla would have most certainly yelled at them about personal space but as she watched Hollis slip off her jacket, revealing her white blouse, she found herself staring at her partner dumbfounded, she didn’t mind it at all.

She glanced at the coffee and back at her partner with a questioning brow.

“I was getting one for myself, and since I know exactly how you like your coffee now, I thought I’d pick one up for you too,” Hollis explained as she took her seat. “Everything okay, Karnstein?”

“Four murders in a month,” Carmilla cleared her throat, internally berating herself for being so distracted by her partners arrival.

She stood and walked over to the crime board where photographs of four women were currently displayed. “These four women were all strangled to death in Seattle within the last two months.”

Hollis walked up next to her and peered at the images.

“Great, another case, more murderers,” she sighed, crossing her arms.

“Well… this is _violent crimes_ ,” Carmilla mused, giving her partner a sideways glance and a small smile.

“Why wasn’t I reassigned to something less _horrifying_ like… human resources,” Her lower lip jutted out and as she sulked amusingly.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me, Hollis,” Carmilla said, enjoying her partners sulk a little too much, her cute little pout was particularly endearing. 

She shook herself and pushed on, “Have you ever heard of a lonely-hearts killer?”

“Sure,” Hollis nodded and pursed her lips as she thought about her response, “Someone who meets, usually women, online or by other means, and well… murders them. The name stems from lonely heart ads in newspapers.”

“All four of these women were found dead after meeting men from dating apps,” Carmilla added.

Hollis turned to face her partner, “Wouldn’t this guy or whoever is committing these murders be relatively easy to track?”

“You’d think.” Carmilla raised her brows, “Expect the FBI haven’t been able to track this guy at all, he’s invisible. He can’t be traced and he uses different phones, different apps, new handles, names, photos, _every time_ so it’s impossible to know to know if it’s him and like I said, untraceable.”

“So, let me guess, you’ve got two seats on a flight to Seattle booked three hours from now?” Hollis gave her a teasing look.

“Actually, the flight is in five hours,” Carmilla smiled.

Hollis smiled in return and then pushed her lower lip between her teeth as they gazed at each other.

Carmilla couldn’t really deny it to herself anymore, she liked this girl. Hollis carried herself different recently, she was confident and she wouldn’t stand for any of Carmilla’s crap. She was undeniably cute. Every time they shared a humorous back and forth Carmilla itched to take it one step further. She enjoyed the teasing immensely… but Hollis was her partner and things couldn’t ever be anything but professional.

“Hey Laura,” Carmilla frowned when she heard Lawrence’s voice, “A couple of us are meeting for drinks later after work, I was thinking, it’s a great time for you to get to know a few more of the folks around here and I’d love to-”

“That sounds great, Danny but-”

“I’m afraid Agent Hollis will be in Seattle with me working on a case,” Carmilla interrupted, turning to Agent Lawrence, she almost smirked.

She couldn’t stand Agent Lawrence and her obvious attraction to her partner was only adding fuel to the fire.

Hollis glared in her partners direction but Carmilla just sauntered away to her desk, content that Lawrence was out of the picture for a while.

“Sorry Danny, but Agent Karnstein is right, I’ll be out of the city on a case, next time though definitely,” She heard Hollis say.

A few moments later, her partner appeared at her side as she considered the file, “So, lonely hearts killer… what else do we know?”

*

FBI field office, Seattle

Carmilla drew a circle on the map in front of them, “All of the women lived within a two mile radius of the college campus and were all found within or close to that radius. Three of the women were attending the college, one was not but lived very nearby. I’d like to lead with the suspicion that the killer more than likely goes to the school or at least lives nearby.” 

Agent Cahill was most probably in her late 30’s, she had short brown hair and square glasses. Carmilla wasn’t certain what her and her partner had done but this woman didn’t seem very pleased to have them working on the case with her. “We’ve already made those assumptions. Can I ask... why two agents from Washington have picked up this case?”

“This case was amongst a number of cases which have been passed on to me by my direct superior, I, like you, Agent Cahill, am just doing my job.” Carmilla said calmly, she wasn’t sure how much longer that would last.

“Agent Karnstein is possibly one of the best agents in the violent crimes section,” Hollis intervened, “You’re lucky to have her working on your case.” 

Agent Cahill cleared her throat but couldn’t hide that she was clearly still pissed off, “Well, thousands of people go to that college, how do you suggest we go about gathering a list of suspects?”

Carmilla’s eye’s lingered on Agent Hollis as she chewed the end of her pencil, she’d glanced over at her partner, surprised by her admiring words and found she didn’t quite want to look away.

“Agent Karnstein?” Cahill’s voice pulled her out of her daze.

Hollis gave her a confused glance but pushed on herself.

“Have you thought about making an account on a dating app and just trying to find him that way? It may take some time but you must have transcripts from the previous online conversations with the other victims. He should be identifiable from his use of words and conversations.”

“Agents are already working on something similar, they haven’t been at all successful as of yet. Have you read the file, Agent Hollis?”

“Of course, she has,” Carmilla intervened, accidentally stabbing her pen through the map in front of her as she glared at Agent Cahill, “But there was nothing about transcripts, are those available? Do your agents have transcripts?”

“For two of the victims, yes,” Cahill pursed her lips, annoyingly and Carmilla took a deep breath, she did not like Agent Cahill.

The office door opened and a young male agent entered the room, “Agent Cahill, news from the local PD of another possible attack just last night. It appears it wasn’t picked up as related to this case because the victim survived. The similarities only became apparent once the victim was questioned by police.”

He dropped a sheet of paper onto the desk, of what looked like a picture drawn up by a sketch artist.

“Thank you, Agent Leaver,” Cahill said dismissively, snapping up the sheet of paper.

“And what _were_ those similarities?” Carmilla asked, spinning her chair toward Agent Leaver.

“The victim had been intending to meet a man she had met through a dating app. She was attacked but for some unknown reason... the perp ran,” Agent Leaver responded.

“And where is this woman now?” Agent Hollis asked.

“She’s at Seattle Grace.” 

“Agent Hollis, go grab some grapes,” Carmilla got to her feet, “We’re heading to the hospital.”

*

Seattle Grace Hospital, Seattle

Carmilla stared at the sketch artists drawing in her hand, it was a young, fairly attractive man, nothing about him particularly stood out.

“And this is what he looked like?” Carmilla said to victim as she sat on her hospital bed, noticing her similarity to the other victims.

She nodded, “Yes, that’s him.”

“What happened last night, Miss Shaw?”

“Um… well, I was stood up, I was meant to meet a man called Brendan at a bar on campus but he didn’t show. We had been talking for about a week and I really liked him but he never showed. There was guy there at the bar, I’d never seen him before but we started talking and he was really nice and handsome. We talked for about 2 hours and then he said he would walk me home…” She sucked in a shaky breath.

“I know how hard this must be Emily, but if you can give us as much information as you can…” Agent Hollis gave her a sympathetic look.

“We were taking the shortcut through the park and… he attacked me. I managed to push him off, he tried to strangle me but um… I put up a fight, the best I could and he must have got spooked or something cause he ran.”

“Was there anything else you remember about him? An accent? A tattoo? A birthmark? _Anything_?” Carmilla asked, slipping her hands into her suit pants pockets.

Miss Shaw shrugged, “He was just really nice, polite, I dunno, he seemed so… _genuine_ …”

Carmilla nodded, pulling out her phone, she took a few steps into the corridor outside, “This is Agent Karnstein, I have spoken to Miss Shaw. Send the sketch out to the local press, she if anyone recognizes this guy. Tighten security on campus, send some officers into campus bars. That’s two confirmed attacks in less than a week. Get a team over to campus and ask around, show the picture, someone is bound to recognise this guy."

“What is the plan?” Agent Hollis asked when Carmilla reentered the room.

“I’m leaving it to Agent Cahill. I’d be surprised if this guy doesn’t get picked up within a few hours and its clear Agent Cahill doesn’t want us working on her case. We’ll head back to D.C. in the morning.”

*

Cosmo’s Motel, Seattle

Carmilla wasn’t sure what compelled her but as she sat on the edge of her bed in her not so grimy (for once) motel room, she thought of her partner, what was Agent Hollis doing right about now? Carmilla usually enjoyed the isolation of her motel room, she liked her space, she was used to spending a lot of time on her own. But this evening, she found herself stepping outside, her eyes lingering on Agent Hollis’ motel room door before she made her decision and knocked. 

She felt nerves settle within her and frowned. _What’s wrong with you? Get ahold of yourself, Karnstein._

The door opened slowly and Carmilla was suddenly so glad she’d knocked on Agent Hollis’ door this evening. Standing in front of her was Agent Hollis, wearing pajamas, the pants decorated with little cupcakes all over, the shirt was plain with a giant cupcake on the front.

Carmilla took a moment to take this in, she blinked in surprise, unable to hold back a smirk.

“What are you wearing?” Carmilla asked, allowing her eyes to travel down her partners body and back up.

“My… cupcake pajamas,” Hollis looked a little hurt.

Carmilla cleared her throat and rolled up sleeves on her white shirt as she tried to adjust to this sight, she was very used to seeing her partner in work clothes, suits usually. She’d even seen her once in sweat pants but this was not a sight she could have imagined and yet it was perfect.

_Christ, what was her partner trying to do to her?_

“ _Wow,_ I was going to ask you if you wanted to get a drink at the bar over there, but um…”

“ _You were?”_ Hollis blinked in surprise.

“But maybe… I’ll just head over on my own,” Carmilla said, taking a step away from the door, backing away with a dismissive wave.

“ _No,_ um… have you had dinner? I was just going to order something actually,” Hollis asked.

“Dinner? Um... I haven’t eaten,” Carmilla paused.

“Come in. Although, you know it’s against FBI policy for agents to be consorting in the same motel room while on assignment…” Hollis smiled as she moved away from the door.

Carmilla swallowed, “I’m pretty sure that rule only applies to male and female agents, but we can try and keep the consorting to a minimum,” she smirked as she stepped over the threshold.

“Any news?” Hollis asked, moving over to the small desk where her laptop sat open.

“Not yet, but give it a few hours,” Carmilla said, glancing around the room. It was exactly the same as hers, she could have sworn it even had the same brown stain she’d seen on the carpet in her room.

“So, Agent Cupcake… what are we eating?” Karnstein unclipped her holster at her side and placed her gun and phone on the desk.

Agent Hollis met her gaze, raising her eyebrows, “Agent _Cupcake?_ ”

“Get used to it,” Carmilla smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I prefer Hollis,” her partner said, closing her laptop.

Carmilla noticed her cheeks turn a little pink and found it quite endearing, along with everything else her partner did that Carmilla found endearing recently.

“I was thinking Thai food.” 

*

Carmilla sipped her beer as she leant back on Agent Hollis’ headboard, smiling at her partner who sat opposite, “Am I a man?”

“Nope,” Hollis shook her head, she smiled as if she were trying to hold back a laugh.

That told Carmilla that the sticky note on her forehead was amusing to Agent Hollis.

“Am I a woman?” Carmilla watched her partner closely for any hint of a tell, the pink sticky note on her forehead just visible on the edge of her vision.

“Yes,” Hollis crossed her legs.

“Am I me?” Carmilla smirked.

“ _No,_ I told you, it’s never going to be you.” Hollis sipped her own beer.

“Am I you?”

“No, not me,” Hollis was looking especially proud of herself with this one.

“Do I work for the FBI?”

“Yes,” Her partner licked her lower lip and looked away from Carmilla’s intense gaze. 

“ _Hmm…_ Do I work in the violent crimes section?” Carmilla chugged down the last of her beer, dropping it on the bedside table.

“ _Yes,”_ Hollis couldn’t hold back her small giggle.

Carmilla watched her a moment, _why would she react so- Oh, Christ._ She grimaced and pulled the sticky note off of her head as if it were contaminated.

“ _Not Lawrence!”_ Carmilla balled up the note and threw it in Laura’s direction.

“ _Hey,_ there’s nothing wrong with Agent Lawrence,” Laura said, picking up the balled up sticky note and throwing it in the direction of the trash can.

“You _like_ her?” Carmilla said as she grabbed the pen and began to write a name of her own on the sticky notes.

“I didn’t say that,” Laura waggled a finger at her looking amused.

“Into redheads, Agent Cupcake?” Carmilla pulled the sticky note free and moved toward her partner to stick it to her forehead.

“Agent Karnstein, why are you so interested?” Agent Hollis asked, raising her chin as she observed Carmilla.

Carmilla’s finger tips lingered near Hollis’ face and she looked from the sticky note down to her partners eyes.

She was quiet for a moment as they made eye contact and then she cleared her throat, “Well, you’re my partner, if you’re going to be getting it on with Agent Lawrence, I’d at least like to know, ahead of time maybe so I can gouge my own eyes out.”

Carmilla moved away to sit just in front of her partner. 

“Why would you do that?” Laura laughed, sipping her beer.

“It’s your turn,” Carmilla gestured to the note on her partners head, changing the subject.

Hollis looked thoughtful for a moment and released a breath, “Am I a woman?”

“Yep” Carmilla nodded, confident her partner would never guess what was written on her forehead.

“Do I work for the Bureau?”

“Yes.”

“Amy, the Assistant Directors PA,” Agent Hollis said confidently, smiling at her partner.

“ _No_ ,” Carmilla smirked.

“You know they say… you and her…” Laura raised a questioning brow. 

“…Don’t believe _everything_ you hear at the office, Hollis,” Carmilla shook her head, “She wishes…”

“ _Really?_ What’s the truth then?” Hollis watched her closely. 

“The truth is, she came on to me in the computer archive room several months ago,” Carmilla ran a hand through her hair.

“And?” Her partner leaned a little closer, intrigued.

Carmilla shrugged, “She kissed me but um… I left pretty quickly after that. I wasn’t interested.” She sighed, “Not only was I not interested, she’s a colleague, it’s just… not really appropriate.”

“ _That’s_ why things are a little… _awkward_ ,” Hollis smiled. 

“ _Don’t_ ,” Carmilla shook her head and lay back on the bedsheets, covering her eyes with her arm.

“ _Agent Karnstein_ , is that a _tattoo!_?” Carmilla’s hands shot down to her stomach, pushing down her shirt where it had come free from her pants, trying to tuck her shirt back in.

“No, you have let me see now,” Hollis laughed, reaching for Carmilla’s hands.

“ _No,”_ Carmilla laughed and tried to grab at her partners hands as she pulled at her white shirt.

“ _Show me_ , what is it?” Hollis asked as Carmilla managed to get a grip on both of her hands.

Once Hollis paused and held still, she looked up at her partner above her, “If you must know, it’s a butterfly.”

Hollis laughed, “Karnstein, why the hell do _you_ have a _butterfly_ tattooed on your hip? That seems _totally_ not your style.”

“Everyone makes mistakes, _Cupcake_ ,” Carmilla goaded, trying to get a rise out of her partner.

“Stop with the _cupcake_ ,” Hollis pulled her hands free.

“Oh, that’s never going to stop,” she smirked.

“Or _I’ll_ tell everyone in the office about your _tattoo_ ,” Hollis smiled evilly.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Karnstein sat up.

“No, I think I would, Agent.”

They stared hard at each other, neither of them blinking. After a long moment, Agent Karnstein slowly reached up and pulled the sticky note from Hollis’ head.

Carmilla never intended to but her eyes were drawn her partners lips as she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, enticingly.

 _No. No. No. No._ Carmilla yelled at herself internally _. Don’t even think about it!_

“I’d forgotten that was there,” Hollis whispered, she did not look away from Carmilla’s eyes.

Carmilla smiled, “You’d have never-”

Carmilla’s phone started to chime loudly and both of the agents pulled away from each other. She scrambled across the room to grab her phone. 

“Karnstein,” She answered, clearing her throat.

She barely listened to the voice on the other end as she watched her partner pick up the sticky note left on the bed.

“That’s great news, Agent. Thanks for letting us know.” Carmilla ended the call. 

“They got him. Found him hiding out behind the campus library,” she said, pocketing her phone and running a hand through her hair.

Hollis raised a questioning eyebrow toward her partner and held up the sticky note revealing, _Agent Cupcake,_ scrawled upon it. She didn’t look _too_ pleased.

“It’s late, I better get back to my room. Get some sleep before we head back tomorrow,” Carmilla smiled, grabbing her gun. 

Hollis nodded and little smile forming on her lips.

“Night, Agent Cupcake,” Carmilla smirked, giving her partner a casual salute before she pulled open the motel room door, revealing the dark car park beyond and disappeared into the night.

Carmilla sucked in the cold air outside and lingered for a moment, glancing up at the sky. She sighed, she could feel herself slipping. Agent Hollis was her partner and that’s all she could ever be. But... the more time Carmilla spent with her, the more appealing she became and Carmilla hated it. Tonight she’d enjoyed the bunched-up face Agent Hollis made at her nicknames and how charming she could be when she let her guard down.

She shook herself, deciding tonight had been a mistake, she needed to avoid situations like this again. Things needed to be professional, Carmilla could do professional. Agent Hollis was completely off limits.


	5. The Reopened Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> X-Files episode - S4 Paper Hearts
> 
> I've been trying to post every Sunday, posting early as I'll be away and wanted to get the next chapter out, may not be one next week.
> 
> Thank you for reading and for all of your positive feedback!

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

Laura typed away quickly at her computer, she’d almost finished a report she wanted to get done by the end of the day. She reached for her coffee mug and grimaced when the cold liquid touched her lips. She sighed and sat back in her chair, stretching a little, glancing around the office. Danny and Kirsch were pointing at a map which was pinned to the crime board, she wondered what they were working on. Her eyes landed on her partner working silently at the desk beside her, Karnstein frowned at her computer as she typed, her dark grey suit jacket hung off the back of her chair.

Karnstein had become a little withdrawn over the last few days, since their evening spent together in Laura’s motel room and she wondered whether everything was okay. She was almost glad for it, she had been starting to enjoy her partners company a little _too_ much. How could she not? Karnstein was extremely attractive, one of the smartest people she’d ever met and very amusing when she was in the right mindset. But that was just it, when she caught Karnstein in particularly optimistic mood, Laura couldn’t help but feel her attraction grow more and more.

Laura knew of course, nothing would ever happen, never, ever could, they were partners, but… did Karnstein know how flirty she could be sometimes? Did she run a hand through her hair or smirk at Laura in that suggestive way just to get her all flustered?

Karnstein must have felt Laura’s eyes on her because she glanced sideways and raised a perfect brow, “Everything okay?” She asked quietly.

“Are you hungry? I could go grab us some lunch,” Laura responded, sitting up in her chair, she could use a few minutes away from the office.

“Yeah, I could eat. Let’s go grab something. I need a break from this report,” Karnstein stood, grabbing her jacket.

Laura stood slowly, surprised her partner had chosen to go to lunch with her, maybe Karnstein was in a particularly good mood today.

“What are you feeling for lunch, Hollis?” Karnstein asked as she clipped her ID back onto her jacket.

Laura waved at Danny as they headed for the exit, “Hmm… Something sweet.”

Karnstein rolled her eyes, “The usual then.”

They walked together through the corridor, Laura noticed how agents seemed to move out of Karnstein’s way, rather her walk around anyone. Laura would most definitely have had to walk around 4 agents, been bumped into twice and had her foot trodden on by now.

Karnstein’s phone chimed when they stepped into the elevator together.

“Karnstein,” her partner answered, appearing completely uninterested.

“Right… How certain are you?” She frowned and nodded slowly.

Laura watched captivated. 

“Yes, of course,” Karnstein glanced down at her watch, “I can be there in… a couple hours.”

She ended the call with a sigh and ran a hand through her hair.

They stepped off the elevator together onto the busy ground floor.

“What is it?” Laura asked, they walked a few more steps and paused.

“A body.” Karnstein shoved her hands into the pockets of her pants, she didn’t look at all happy.

“You may need to elaborate,” Laura said, watching her partner closely.

“I can explain on the way, I’m heading to Virginia if you’re interested?" 

“A case?” Laura asked, her partner was not being very forthcoming with the details at all.

She nodded.

“Okay, I’ll just grab my bag from my car and meet you outside.”

Laura had taken to keeping an overnight bag in her car, she never knew when she’d be leaving on a case and she didn’t always have time to go back to her apartment to grab belongings.

*

They’d been driving for about twenty minutes and all Karnstein had done whilst she drove was sigh three times, run her hand through her hair twice and scowl. Laura sat patiently waiting for her to fill her in on the case.

“Well…” Laura asked, “What’s the case?”

Karnstein glanced across at her as if she’d forgotten her partner was there.

“Oh, um… A number of years ago when I was first starting out, I worked on a case… a serial killer named, Harold Waites.”

Karnstein’s hand squeezed the steering wheel, Laura didn’t know who this Waites guy was but if Karnstein’s reaction was anything to go by, he wasn’t good news.

“He murdered thirteen young girls in Virginia and his calling card, I guess you could call it that, was to cut a heart out of the victims clothing after he murdered her. He confessed to the murders but we never found the hearts… "

“Okay,” Laura frowned as she listened to her partner talk, she urged her to continue.

“Waites was a travelling salesman, that’s how I deduced that it was him. He’d knock on doors and meet families, come back later and well… you can guess what happened next,” Karnstein glanced at her for a second before returning her gaze to the road.

“That phone call was an agent down in Virginia. A body of a young girl has just been discovered with a heart cut of her clothing. It looks like Waites may have had more victims than we originally thought.”

“Is he…” Laura murmured. 

“He’s alive. He’s in prison, where he’ll be for rest of his life,” Karnstein glanced in her rear-view mirror and then across at Laura.

“That was your first case?”

Karnstein shook her head, “Not my first, but definitely not a case I’m going to forget anytime soon.” 

*

FBI Offices, Virginia

Karnstein shook hands with an older agent, “Agent Williams.”

Agent Williams was a well built, dark skinned man with square glasses on his nose. “Agent Karnstein, thanks for coming on such short notice,” he smiled but appeared on edge. They entered his office, Laura noted his many certificates and credentials that hung on the wall behind his head.

“How are you?” Karnstein asked.

“I was great, until this case reopened on my lap,” He said, taking a seat and gesturing for them to sit.

“This is my partner, Agent Hollis,” Karnstein said as they sat.

“Agent,” Williams nodded in Laura’s direction as way of a greeting.

“As you know, a body was found early yesterday morning and all fingers seem to point to Harold Waites.”

Williams opened a file on the desk in front of him.

“We got the autopsy report back about an hour ago, we can confirm that the victim was most probably a victim of Waites, there was a heart cut from her pyjamas. She was possibly one of his first victims, given how long the body had been in the ground.”

“Waites only confessed to thirteen murders,” Karnstein stated.

“Exactly,” Williams ran a hand over his face, “Now, there’s no telling how many other victims there actually were…”

“Has anyone spoken to him?” Karnstein frowned.

“Not yet, Agent,” William responded, “We only got the confirmation an hour ago, we can-”

“I’ll go… _we’ll go_ ,” Karnstein said, glancing sideways at Laura.

“Are you sure, Agent?” Williams asked, raising a brow.

“Isn’t it why you called me down here?” Karnstein asked, getting to her feet.

Williams looked a little ashamed, Laura had no idea what was going on, staring between her partner and Agent Williams.

“If we hurry, we might be able to sit down with him before its gets too late in the day,” Karnstein said, heading for the exit.

Laura followed her out quickly, Karnstein didn’t pause until they reached her car outside, she leant on the driver’s side door and took a few breathes. 

“What was that all about?” Laura asked, feeling anger bubbling below the surface, she didn’t like being left out of the loop by her partner. “Why have _we_ gotta go talk to this guy?” 

“ _Because he’ll only talk to me_ …” Karnstein snapped irritably. She sighed again, shaking her head and dropped into the driver’s seat.

“What does that mean?” Laura asked, climbing in next to her, ignoring her partners rudeness.

Karnstein made to start the engine but paused, she swallowed and turned her head towards Laura.

“Harold Waites took a particular liking to me, in fact, he refused to speak to any other agent... When he confessed to the thirteen murders, he confessed _to me_ … I sat and I listened to every single detail of what he did to those girls…” Karnstein stared at the steering wheel, looking perturbed.

Laura couldn’t breathe, she tried to adjust her horrified expression to one of only concern.

“For hours… it felt like days, but it had to be done…” she rubbed the back of her neck uneasily.

Laura wanted to reach out and grab her partners hand but she held back.

“I’ll be there with you now,” she whispered.

Karnstein shook her head, “No, you don’t want too… He’s… evil, he’s the vilest man I’ve ever met.”

“I’m not leaving you, I’m not leaving your side,” Laura said with an air of finality.

Karnstein looked up at her, their eyes met for a moment and she nodded, looking reassured.

*

Lonewood Max Security Prison, West Virginia

Waites was already in the small interrogation room when they were lead down the corridor towards it.

Karnstein turned to Laura when they reached the door, “Don’t let him get under your skin… The things he will say-”

Laura placed a hand on her partners elbow, “Calm down, you’ve got this. _We’ve_ got this.”

There were three chairs and a table in the small room, Waites was on one side, there was a mirror on the wall, two-way glass. 

His wrists were handcuffed, he wore a blue prison uniform and he sat with his head down, until they entered the room and when he looked up and recognised Agent Karnstein, a wicked smile came across his face.

“ _Agent Karnstein_ …” He spoke slowly and pronounced. He looked her up and down, pursing his lips, amused. “You know… I was starting to think I might _never_ see you again.”

“If only I was that lucky,” Karnstein mumbled as they approached the table.

She said nothing else, she moved out a chair for Laura to sit and took her own, ignoring Waites.

“And who are you, Sweetness?” Waites leered at her.

“ _Shut up_ ,” Karnstein said quickly before she seemed to come to her senses, she seethed, “ _Shut… up_.” 

He smirked and slid down a little in his chair, looking relaxed, his bold head shining with sweat.

“Can we hurry this along? I’m in the middle of a really good book,” Waites glanced between the two of them.

Laura sucked in a deep breath, diving right in, “Mr Waites, I’m Agent Hollis, six years ago you confessed to the murder of thirteen girls. What I'd like to know is, how many others were there?”

His face light up and he ran this tongue over his lower lip, “Found another one, have you?” He spoke slowly.

“ _How many more are there?”_ Karnstein asked angrily.

“Agent Karnstein, has it really been _six years?”_ He smirked. “You look so…”

“I asked, _how many more are there_!?” Karnstein shouted.

Laura reacted instinctively, she placed a hand on Karnstein’s knee.

The movement seemed to pay off though as Karnstein looked across at her, momentarily distracted, anger disappearing from her face.

Laura quickly pulled her hand away.

Waites did not react to Karnstein’s yelling.

He sucked in a breath, rested his handcuffed hands on the desk and whispered, “So, you never found my hearts?”

Karnstein stared at him, she licked her lower lip and swallowed.

“Where are the hearts?” Karnstein asked, calmly, though Laura could tell she was still anything but calm.

He smiled, “I was a travelling salesman, everything that was important to me… I kept in my car, though I guess that old thing is long gone by now,” he smiled.

Karnstein stood suddenly and grabbed the door, waiting for Laura to leave before she left behind her, slamming the door.

“I hate him, _I hate him so much_ ,” she took some deep breathes and leaned on the wall, she was visibly shaking.

Laura walked over and took one of Karnstein’s hands in both of hers. 

“We got what we wanted… kind off,” Laura tried to give her partner a reassuring smile, “Now, we’ve got to try and find out if that car is still around. If we can find the hearts, we’ll know how many victims there were.”

Karnstein nodded in agreement and ran a hand through her hair.

“Are you okay?”

“I will be,” she looked thoughtful for a moment and seemed to have composed herself. “Let’s get out of here.”

*

Brass Peaks Motel, Virginia

Laura sat on the edge of her motel bed, staring at her partner. Karnstein was seated at the desk, she’d lost her suit jacket somewhere in her own motel room. They had adjoining rooms; the adjoining doors were currently sat wide open. 

Karnstein had been sat at Laura’s desk on her phone for about thirty minutes, an untouched salad she’d bought an hour ago abandoned next to her. 

Laura was worried, she’d never seen her partner act like this on a case before and she’d seen Karnstein handle some tough situations with practiced ease. She was always so strong and disaffected, Laura imagined that Karnstein could handle pretty much anything.

She murmured quietly on the phone, Laura watched her scribbling on a piece of paper.

After a few moments, she ended the call.

“Okay,” she stood, “So the car was sold at auction a number of years ago to a man named Mark Harris who lives in Delaware, so there’s every chance the car is still out there.”

She held up the piece of paper, “And, I’ve just acquired his address.” 

“Don’t you think the car would have already been searched?” Laura asked, folding her arms.

Karnstein smiled and raised an eyebrow, “Not by me.”

*

Harris Residence, Delaware

Mr Harris pulled his garage door up and open, “I was using the old thing for parts for my dad’s old car, I was going to scrap it soon. I don’t need it anymore.” He gestured to the old car and placed his hands on his hips.

“So, we’re free to search the car, Mr Harris?” Laura asked, Karnstein walked around the car as if inspecting it, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head.

“Sure, like I said, it’s scrap anyway. Were you serious when you said a serial killer used to own my car?” Mr Harris looked between them with an air of excitement.

Neither of them responded to his question, Karnstein had already popped open the car door and was climbing in, Laura went around the back to the trunk.

“Um… guess I’ll just leave you guys to it,” Laura heard Mr Harris say before he disappeared.

Laura searched the large trunk, carefully checking all available space and crevices, she still wasn’t quite sure what the point of this was. The car had already been searched on a previous occasion, what were the chances that they’d find-

“Hollis!” Karnstein yelled.

Laura looked up and scrambled around to the front of the car, the two front seats had large slashes through them, Karnstein must have sliced them open in her search. The floor carpeting was ripped and the center console was in pieces. Karnstein held what looked like the cup holder molding in one hand a small bag in another.

She hoped out of the car, “I’ve found the hearts.”

They walked out of the garage into the sunshine and Karnstein emptied the hearts into her hand. They began to count, Laura frowned, she did not forget in her excitement that they were handling material cut from dead victims clothing, most were bright colors, it made her stomach turn.

“Sixteen…” Karnstein looked up and met her gaze, “Sixteen hearts, sixteen victims…”

“There’s two more,” Laura nodded.

They both stood in horrified silence.

“We have to go back, we have no choice,” Laura whispered.

“What do you mean?” 

“To Waites, I mean, we’ll never find the other bodies unless he tells us where they are.”

Karnstein considered this for a moment and nodded slowly, “I guess, you’re right.”

*

Lonewood Max Security Prison, West Virginia

They stood outside the small interview room, Karnstein had lingered when she’d reached the door, delaying the inevitable instead of heading right in and facing Waites.

“He’s going to string us along, I know it,” Karnstein sighed, shaking her head.

“Karnstein, you’ve said it yourself. You are the _only person_ who could get this guy to talk, you can do it. Just _don’t_ let him get to you,” Laura instructed, placing a hand on Karnstein’s forearm.

Karnstein frowned, “I hate him,” she whispered, delicately. Laura had never seen her partner so vulnerable.

“If he talks today… you _never_ have to see him again. He’ll die in this prison and this case can finally be put to rest.”

Karnstein considered that for a moment before she nodded, “Let’s not waste any more time then,” she turned and headed into the room.

Waites smiled in delight when they entered, “What a joy to see the two of you again so soon,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

Neither of them spoke as they took their seats.

“Tell us where the bodies are,” Laura said, calmly.

Waites stared at Laura and smiled and slowly shook his head.

“Mr Waites, you’re going to be in prison for the rest of your life so you might as well tell us, you have nothing to lose,” Laura said, studying him closely. 

“Nothing to gain either…” He shrugged.

A quiet moment passed. 

“Don’t you just want to… _do something good_ after everything? Make the _right choice?”_ Laura urged.

“Agent Hollis,” Waites sucked in a breath, “I like you _very much.”_

“We know you killed sixteen girls. We found the hearts,” Karnstein interrupted.

He looked at Karnstein and considered her for a moment, before he whispered, “You found my hearts?”

Karnstein nodded, “Tell us, where the last two bodies are.”

“I want to see them. Bring me the hearts and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

There was a moment of silence, Karnstein raised an eyebrow.

She then slowly reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a bag which she dropped onto the desk.

Each heart had been placed in individual plastic wrappings and matched up with each of the victims apart from two, unknown hearts, samples had been taken for testing.

A range of emotions seemed to come over Waites’ face, surprise turned into a smile which became a scowl when he looked up and met Karnstein’s gaze.

Karnstein spread the hearts on the desk, separating the two unknown hearts from the rest.

Waites moved his handcuffed hands as if he were about to reach out to touch.

“ _No touching,”_ Karnstein ordered. 

“The last two hearts, who were they and where are the bodies?” Karnstein asked, she stared at Mr Waites.

He blinked, his eyes lingering on each of the hearts. After a long moment, he cleared his throat and looked up at the agents. 

*

“Are you okay?” Laura asked her partner, they drove in comfortable silence.

Harold Waites had talked, he’d given the names of his last two victims and where the bodies could be found and Karnstein had contacted Agent Williams to follow up.

Karnstein nodded, watching the road ahead.

“Are you sure? Because you seem… _down_ and I see what happened here today as a win, Waites told us everything,” Laura frowned with concern at her partner.

Karnstein licked her lower lip, “I just... _hate that guy_ , he really just gets to me… more so than most.”

“ _Hey,_ they’re going to find the bodies of the missing girls, the families can finally get some closure and you can close this case for good. And you never have to see Harold Waites again…” she tried to give her partner a reassuring smile.

Karnstein sighed and glanced across at her, smiling when she met Laura’s cheerful gaze.

“Cupcake… that smile of yours can make anyone feel better,” Karnstein smirked, shaking her head. 

Laura blinked in surprise, she didn’t know how to respond, she felt her face grow warm.

“Thanks… I guess,” Laura stared at her knees and kept her head down, hiding her blush.

A few quiet moments followed.

“You said that the Waites case wasn’t your first…” Laura said quietly.

Karnstein glanced at her, “It wasn’t.”

“What _was_ your first case?” Laura asked.

Karnstein seemed to give her question a moment’s thought, before she decided to answer.

“I’d tell you to buckle up but you already are…” Karnstein glanced at her. “Right out of the academy, I will admit, I thought very highly of myself… but it kinda paid off because I identified the killer in my first case. His name was Adam Davenport. He’d killed seven people.”

Laura watched her partner closely as she talked.

“We knew that Davenport was heading to the airport so we staked it out… he arrived as expected and an agent approached to apprehend… and that’s when everything went to shit.”

“Davenport must have known, recognised an agent or something because he grabbed the nearest person and held a gun to his head.”

“We swarmed around him, I got in behind... I had a clear shot… a clear shot and I held back.”

“What happened?” Laura frowned. 

“Davenport managed to kill the hostage and an agent too... before I killed him… But if I’d have just pulled the trigger three seconds earlier… then that agent would still be alive.” 

“But you were right not too, Davenport had a hostage.” Laura responded. 

“Right. I followed protocol and two people died,” Karnstein sighed. “…That’s when I realized it’s not always for the best following protocol. If I’d have just... taken the shot...”

“Karnstein, it’s not your fault, you know that, right?” Laura said, gnawing on her lower lip.

“I had a clear shot and I should have taken it,” Karnstein stated, drumming her fingers uneasily on the steering wheel.

“You did the right thing, you _always_ do the right thing,” Laura smiled. “And look at this way, in my first case, I was run off the road, abducted and almost murdered so it sounds like you did far better than I did.” 

Karnstein frowned at the mention of Laura’s first case, “That day was… worse if anything… you were my partner and I couldn’t even protect _you.”_

“Of course you did, you did everything you could, you saved my life,” Laura’s brow furrowed, she watched her partner closely as she drove.

“It was a close call,” Karnstein mumbled.

“When I first met you, I thought you were arrogant, egotistical, crappy attitude, bad tempered-”

“Is this going somewhere?” Karnstein interrupted with a frown.

“ _But_ … now," Laura smiled, "Now, that I’ve gotten to know you and I’ve seen you in some difficult situations… you may act all cool and disaffected but I’ve never met anyone who cares as much as you do. You never give up, you always fight. And I think, maybe it’s time for you to… let go of some of that guilt…”

Karnstein smiled but looked as though she found nothing funny, “If I don’t have the guilt to keep me fighting, then what do I have?” 

“You have me,” Laura responded automatically in a quiet tone.

Karnstein glanced across at her quickly, her face expressionless, she sucked in a breath and Laura's heart beat a little harder against her chest. Her lips curved up into a small smile, "Well, maybe you're all I need."


	6. The Numbers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X-Files Episode - Aubrey (S2)  
> And Detour (S5)

Road, Maryland

Laura glanced in the rear-view mirror and then quickly across at her partner as she drove, she almost smiled. Karnstein sulked quietly in the passenger seat and let out a small sigh, a frown fixed on her face.

“You know, I doubt anyone would even notice if we weren’t there,” Karnstein mumbled, she pulled out her phone with a huff and stared at it.

This time, Laura did smile, she fixed her gaze on the road ahead.

A large number of agents from D.C had been asked to attend a 2-day team building seminar in New Jersey, two days of constructive problem-solving activities and learning how to better communicate with your partner.

“Yes, they would and _I_ don’t want to go to this thing either but we don’t have a choice,” Laura shrugged.

Karnstein rolled her eyes, “It’s going to be all trust falls and talking about our feelings. Please _kill me now_ …”

“You know, maybe some team building could benefit you,” Laura said, holding back a grin as she waited for what she hoped would be a comical response from her partner.

“You are my team. Do you trust me?” Karnstein asked, giving her a pointed look.

Laura blinked, she hadn’t expected that response at all.

“Of course I do,” She replied, without a doubt. 

“Great, then let’s turn around and head back to D.C,” she could see Karnstein’s smile out of the corner of her eye. 

She shook her head, smiling. “Not happening, Karnstein.”

She sulked lower in her seat and gave another dramatic sigh, her gaze returning to her phone.

They drove along for a few minutes in comfortable silence, trees surrounded them on either side of the road, traffic in front of them began to get heavier, cars were slowing and Laura frowned as they were forced to slow until eventually they came to a stop.

“What the hell is this?” Laura mumbled, sitting up in her seat and stretching her neck to try and glean what was happening further up the road.

“A road block?” Karnstein looked only mildly interested as she pocketed her phone.

The traffic was at a standstill, Laura switched off the car.

They watched as a police officer came into view, he spoke to the driver in the car in front for a moment and then moved on, approaching them.

He ducked down towards the window and raised his sunglasses, “It’s going to be a few minutes, ladies.”

“Why? What’s happening, Officer?” Laura asked.

“Just a little situation,” he said, avoiding the question and moving on to the next vehicle.

Karnstein opened her door and stepped out, pulling on her suit jacket.

“What are you doing?” Laura dipped her head down to try and catch a glimpse of her partners face.

“Just stretching my legs, I’ll go on ahead and see what the holdup is,” Karnstein said, closing her door and sauntering off down the road.

Laura sighed and then hopped out to follow her partner.

There were police scattered around and some kind of commotion in the trees just off the road. Laura rolled her eyes when Karnstein headed straight towards them. 

“Excuse me, ma’am, can you please get back into your vehicle-” 

“I’m Special Agent Karnstein with the FBI,” she quickly pulled out her ID, “And this is my partner Agent Hollis,” she gestured behind her, the officer backed down immediately and Karnstein kept moving, walking along a path that lead them into the tree line.

“What’s going on here?” Karnstein asked as she approached the scene.

“Excuse me?” A female officer frowned at them.

“I’m Special Agent Karnstein with the FBI, this is my partner, Agent Hollis,” she pocketed her ID. “What’s going on here? Anything we can help with?” 

Laura knew exactly what Karnstein was doing… _anything_ to get out of the team building seminar.

“ _FBI?_ How did you get here so fast?” The officer frowned.

“No, we’re stuck in the traffic back there,” Karnstein gestured, “What’s going on?” 

“There’s a body… A woman walking her dog found it earlier this morning.”

“We specialize in violent crimes; can I take a look?” Karnstein asked.

The police officer stepped aside but Laura placed a hand on her partners arm, holding her back.

“Karnstein, what are you doing? We have to be at this conference in two hours,” Laura insisted.

Karnstein smiled, “We don’t need to team build. Come on, let’s just check this out. Seems like this could be a sign to me.”

She turned, approaching the scene, stepping under the police tape and holding her ID up for all of the officers and what looked like forensics to see.

The corpse was face down, the back of the shirt had been ripped open and looked like something had been carved into the skin on the victims back.

She spoke to a nearby officer as she looked down at the body, “What can you tell me?”

“Body was found this morning, looks like it could have been here for a day or so. Lucky an animal never got to it.”

“What is that?” Karnstein asked, stepping closer. 

The officer nodded, “We think it’s a number… four maybe?”

Karnstein frowned at the body and straightened up, she whispered, “ _Interesting…_ ”

“Are there any motels in the area?” Karnstein asked, whipping around to meet the officers gaze. 

Laura sighed and rolled her eyes, looked like the team building seminar was officially off the table.

*

Police station, Maryland

Laura pocketed her phone as she walked over to her partner who was staring at a computer, “I’ve let them know we won’t be making it to the conference and I’ve got us two rooms at the nearest motel,” Laura said, taking the seat on the other side of the desk.

“What are you looking at?”

“Autopsy report…” Karnstein mumbled. 

“How? The body was only discovered this morning, there’s no way-”

“Not _that_ body,” Karnstein licked her lower lip as she glanced toward her partner, “I know about this case." 

Laura frowned, _here we go_ , she thought. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve read about it years ago back at the academy, there were series of similar murders just like this one back in the 1960’s.” Karnstein met her gaze, “A rapist and murderer, man named Alexander Heyes. He murdered a woman named Virginia Hart and carved a _number_ into her back, _one._ He did it to, I believe, two other victims before he was caught and sent to prison, _two and three_."

"The 1960's," Laura raised a disbelieving brow. _How could this possibly relate?_

“ _But_ ,” Karnstein pointed at the computer in front of her, “He was released from prison two years ago. He’s 78…”

Karnstein raised her eyebrows and gave Laura what could only be described as a proud smile.

“You think its him?” Laura asked.

“Well, it seems highly likely,” she nodded.

“Tell me something,” Laura sat forward in her chair, leaning on the desk, “Would you have been interested in this case if we weren’t heading to that seminar today? Would you have even gotten involved?”

“I’m just doing my job, Hollis,” Karnstein smirked, moving to stand, “Come on, let’s drop in on Mr Heyes.”

*

Heyes Residence, Maryland

They stepped out of the car, the property was rather rundown, the land surrounding the house was unkempt and if Laura hadn’t known better she might have thought no one had been here for decades.

Karnstein knocked on the door, glanced around as she waited and knocked again impatiently.

“ _Just hang on, will ya?!”_ An angry voice sounded from within and they glanced at each other. 

A few moments later, the front door creaked open and a fragile looking, older, red faced man appeared, he scowled at them both.

"What do you want?" He croaked.

Hi, I’m Agent Hollis, this is my partner Agent Karnstein. Are you Mr Alexander Heyes?”

“Yes,” he spoke gutturally and then heaved a cough which lasted a number of seconds, he wheezed and coughed again.

“Do you mind if we come in?” Laura asked, frowning with concern at the man. It was clear from having only been in his presence for a few seconds that he was rather unwell.

 _“Why?”_ He gasped out.

“We just want to talk to you, Mr Heyes… about a case we’re working on,” Laura smiled politely.

He said nothing but turned and limped away, leaving the door wide open.

Laura looked to Karnstein, who shook her head a little, Laura nodded back. Heyes had nothing to do with this recent murder, they were both already sure of it.

They followed him in. His house was dark, unclean and untidy, Laura unconsciously held her breath for a moment or two as she wandered through to the living room. Food wrappers littered the floor, there was one arm chair, a small table, a tv and… what looked like an oxygen tank next to his chair. 

“We’re investigating the murder of a young woman… the body was found 30 or so miles away from here,” Laura said, watching as Mr Heyes slowly lowered himself into his chair.

“And what? You think it’s _me_?” He gave a wheezy laugh. “I can’t even walk to my door and back without struggling to breathe.” He pulled a mask that appeared to be attached to the tank and put it to his face, taking a few breathes.

Laura glanced sideways at her partner, who studied their suspect closely.

“Mr Heyes, where were you on Saturday night?” Karnstein asked.

“ _Here_ … where I am _every night_ … in this chair, watching the tv,” Heyes said slowly, he put the mask back to his face.

“The situation… is eerily similar to your case. There isn’t anybody who you think might… you haven’t spoken to anyone, met anyone…” Karnstein asked.

“ _Look here_ , how can I _meet_ people? _I’m dying_ … the only reason I got out of that hell hole of a prison was because I was dying…”

Laura glanced toward her partner warily. 

“Thank you, Mr Heyes… Is there anything we can do for you?” Laura asked, she knew she was talking to a murderer but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him in his current situation.

“You can leave me alone,” he rasped.

Laura nodded, “Thank you, Mr Heyes. We’ll um… see ourselves out.”

He did not respond, just put his mask back on and turned back toward his tv.

Karnstein pulled the door closed behind them and they headed back towards the car.

“It can’t be him, there’s no way he’s capable,” Laura thought aloud.

“I agree,” Karnstein mused, getting into the car.

“What next?” Laura asked, from the passenger seat.

“Wait for the forensics and the autopsy report, see if we get any answers,” Karnstein responded. “Call Detective Simmons, let him know.”

*

Hansen's Motel, Maryland

Laura closed her motel room door having just wished her partner a good night, they were currently no further with the case. They’d eaten at a diner nearby and had accepted that they weren’t going to find out anything more tonight.

She fell onto her bed in a tired heap, at least this motel didn’t seem so bad. She lay still, just thinking. If they’d have gone to the conference, she’d be in a slightly better hotel right now and would have eaten something more appetizing than diner pizza. She sighed, feeling her eyes grow heavy.

A knock at the door startled her momentarily but she was used to it now, she recognised the knock.

Karnstein… What did she want? Had there been a sudden break in the case? She quietly hoped not, she wanted to take a shower and go to bed as soon as possible.

She opened the door to be met with a pissed off looking Agent Karnstein.

“I’ll have to find a different motel, if not, I’ll sleep in the car,” She said quickly.

Laura blinked, not quite understanding what was going on, “W- What? _Why_?” 

“I couldn’t get into my room so I went to the desk, and it’s double booked. There isn’t another room for me tonight. I’ll search around for somewhere else close by,” Karnstein said with a resounding nod.

“No wait, why don’t you just stay in here with me?” Laura raised a brow. _Wasn't that the most obvious thing to do?_

“No, I don’t think that’s…” Karnstein said, picking up her overnight bag from the ground near her feet.

“It’s fine by me. Problem solved,” Laura said casually, she walked away from the door, leaving the option open.

She began to root through her bag on the bed, diverting her attention, “ _Come in,”_ she said, noticing her partner still lingering in the doorway.

“Are you sure, Hollis?” Her partner asked, uncertain.

“Yeah, I don’t think there is another motel that close. It’s just easier for the both of us,” Laura shrugged, pulling clothes from her bag.

Karnstein took two steps into the room and pushed the door slowly closed behind her and stood awkwardly against the wall by the door.

“Um…” Laura frowned in her direction, before gesturing toward the bathroom, “I’m gonna go grab a shower.”

Her partner sat on the edge of the bed, looking tense.

“Karnstein, if you’re uncomfortable with this, you don’t _have_ to stay here,” Laura said, raising her eyebrows and staring at the partner.

“ _No_ , it’s fine by me, Hollis,” Karnstein shrugged off her suit jacket with a tight smile.

“I’ll be…” Laura gestured awkwardly toward the bathroom with her toothbrush before grabbing her supplies and closing the door behind her.

* 

When Laura returned from her shower, she was surprised to see that Karnstein appeared to have made herself at home. She’d removed her shirt, leaving just the white tank top that must have lain beneath. She lay back on the bed with a hand behind her head, reading a book. Laura couldn’t help but notice how toned her arm looked, she had the sudden desire to study it closer. She could just see the edge of Karnstein’s tattoo as her tank top was just pulled up enough to reveal a sliver of her hip.

Laura blinked and turned away.

“What ya reading?” She asked, running her fingers through her wet hair.

“The Shining…” Karnstein mumbled.

Laura grimaced, who would read something like that while on assignment?

She sat on what she assumed was her side of the bed, slowly towel drying her hair. 

Karnstein shot up unexpectedly, startling Laura slightly. She grabbed her bag, shuffling off into the bathroom without a word.

Laura heard the shower turn on and climbed into bed, leaving the light on Karnstein’s side on and decided to try and sleep before she returned to the room.

She sighed against the pillow… and then frowned, why was the shower so loud? There was a clock in the room somewhere and the ticking was getting louder every second. She turned over and tried to find a comfortable position. Her mind began to wonder… Was this appropriate? Sharing the same motel room with a female coworker certainly wasn’t unheard of but… the same bed? She turned over again… It didn’t matter anyway because they were both professionals and thats' how the situation would be dealt with... _professionally_. She squeezed her eyes shut, she shouldn’t even be thinking about this, she should be trying to sleep before Karnstein… she heard the shower switch off. She turned over again, really hoping that sleep wouldn’t avaid her now. 

*

Carmilla stepped out of the bathroom, her eyes landing on her partner in bed. She wondered whether she was actually asleep…

There had been no cupcakes this time… a pair of sweat pants and a simple loose white t-shirt, not a cupcake in sight. Carmilla couldn’t help but miss those pyjamas just a little.

She glanced around the room, there was definitely nothing else to sleep on, she even considered the floor for a moment before climbing into bed next to her partner, leaving an adequate distance between them. She deliberated just reading her book until the sun came up. She lay still, chewing her lip.

Hollis was her partner, she was uncomfortable… uncomfortable because she was attracted to her? She couldn’t really deny that to herself anymore. The more time she spent with her, the more appealing Agent Hollis became and Carmilla hated it. So, lying next to Agent Hollis tonight wasn’t exactly top of her list of things to do. The more space she could put between them, the better.

She closed her eyes, listening to the quiet snores beside her. She tried to match her breathing to her partners, hoping it would calm her enough to help her sleep.

Her eyes did start to grow heavier… maybe this wasn’t so bad…

Carmilla internally frowned when her partners light snores suddenly stopped, she didn’t open her eyes but she felt Hollis turning over, Carmilla didn’t move an inch… she didn’t breathe. 

“Carmilla?” Hollis’ soft voice sounded close to her ear. 

Carmilla tensed up, _what the hell was she doing?_

She felt her partners fingers gently glide down her arm and she blinked open her eyes.

She could the dark shape of Agent Hollis who was hovering close in the dark, looking down at her.

Carmilla swallowed, she should say something, ask her partner what was she doing. She should push her away, climb out of the bed… _do something, anything._

Hollis’ face loomed closer, her hair cascading down on either side of Carmilla’s face and she couldn’t move, she couldn't breathe, none of her limbs seemed to be working, she could do nothing but stare.

“Could you…” Laura whispered, not finishing whatever it was she was going to say as she leaned closer and their lips met. _This should not be happening_ … Carmilla screamed inside her mind but her lips responded none the less… Hollis’ lips were soft but demanding and Carmilla shivered as Hollis pushed herself closer.

This wasn’t wrong… this definitely should be happening, she decided.

Carmilla’s hands slide up her partners jaw and into her hair as Hollis clambered on top of her. Carmilla moaned, she couldn’t help it, as Hollis nipped at her lower lip.

Laura kissed down her throat quickly, they both sucked in shallow breaths, her hips unexpectedly moving against Carmilla’s.

Carmilla pulled their lips back together and she smiled at her partners small moan.

She was suddenly feeling sweltering hot, _too hot_ but she didn't want this to end. She broke free from her partners lips and opened her eyes… Hollis was gone...

She blinked into the darkness… 

She glanced across at Hollis who lay asleep beside her, breathing evenly. It had been a dream, she’d had a sexual dream about her partner while lying in bed beside her. _Christ, the hell was wrong with her?_

Carmilla clambered out of the bed in seconds, she almost fell in her rush to get away from her partner, she got to her feet, stumbled in the dark, stubbed her toe on the bed post and let out a silent yell as she limped into the bathroom and closed the door possibly a little too loudly.

She winced at the bright bathroom light and took some deep breaths as she leaned over the sink. She splashed water on her face and glanced up into the mirror at her tired reflection.

Nightmares she was used to, she could get by, but _that…. that_ was something else entirely.

She sighed, shaking her head, drying her face on a towel and feeling wide awake.

Hollis appeared to be sleeping soundly when Carmilla reentered the room, she grabbed the keycard off the table, quickly stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind her.

It was just cold enough to just be uncomfortable and Carmilla reveled in that feeling, internally punishing herself for that sinful dream. She strolled up and down the small path, listening to the noises of the night and staring up at the stars in the dark sky.

She did this for a while until she began to shiver, she forced herself to stay outside for a few more moments before she walked back to the door and psyched herself up before reentering the motel room.

Hollis slept on… Carmilla would not be getting back into that bed tonight, she rooted around in her bag for a moment in the dark, pulled out her laptop and took a seat at the small table next to the draped window.

She started working on her report, the sound of her fingers clacking against the keys, the loudest sound in the room. The light from the laptop lit up Carmilla’s face in the dark. This worked well, Carmilla could get lost easily in her work, the case was interesting enough that she put thought and effort into her report but she couldn’t stop herself from glancing over at what she could see of her partners sleeping form every so often.

When there was just a hint of light shining in through a small gap in the drapes, Hollis began to stir, “What… you doing… Carmilla…?” she asked drowsily, slowly sitting up and squinting her eyes across the room toward her.

Carmilla paused in her typing and glanced at her, her t-shirt was hanging off one shoulder and she pushed a hand through her messy bed hair. 

Christ, she was cute and she’d just called her, _Carmilla?_ God, help her…

Carmilla swallowed and cleared her throat quietly, visions of the dream she'd had hours ago returning at this most inopportune moment. No words immediately coming to her, she stared at her partner like she’d just lost her mind.

She needed to get away from this girl… _what was happening to her?_

Hollis rubbed a hand over her face and then stretched, still waiting for an answer.

“Making a start on the report, I couldn’t sleep,” Carmilla gave her a nod and then looked back at her laptop.

“Sorry, was it me?” Hollis asked around a yawn.

“No,” Carmilla smiled, she couldn’t help it, “Of course not. I just had a bad dream is all.”

Hollis nodded, “It happens to me sometimes,” she said quietly.

Carmilla nodded in understanding, though she hated the thought of her partner suffering like that, she didn’t voice her concerns.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Hollis whispered. 

Carmilla shook her head and muttered a small, “No.”

A quiet moment passed, “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Carmilla said.

They were both startled when Carmilla’s phone started to chime. She moved across the room to the floor near her bag where her phone had been discarded.

“Karnstein.”

“Hi, sorry to wake you, Agent Karnstein-”

“I wasn’t asleep,” she interrupted.

“This is Detective Simmons… we’ve just had a report from an officer on duty, they’re found another body.”

Carmilla nodded as Simmons continued to talk and then ended the call.

“Get dressed, they’ve found another body… the fifth victim." 

*

Police Station, Maryland

It had been a very similar sight to the body found the day before, except this time there had been a number five carved into the victims back.

Karnstein’s hands had landed on her hips as she walked in a circle around the crime scene, and she chewed her lip when Laura addressed her.

“Let’s head back over the station, once we can get our hands on the autopsy report for the body discovered yesterday, we might have a better understanding of who we’re dealing with.” Karnstein had said.

“This can’t be right,” Laura flipped through the forensics report as she sat on the edge of the desk at the station.

“What is it?” Karnstein paused, she had been walking back and forth up and down the office with her hands shoved into her suit pants pockets as she waited for Laura to read the report.

“It’s just… it’s a DNA match, found under the victim’s finger nail… a high probability it could be Heyes,” Laura looked up at her partner.

“There’s no way,” Karnstein frowned, “You saw him, he could hardly get out of his chair… In your medical opinion, it couldn’t be Heyes, _right?”_

“I’m fairly certain,” Laura deliberated, “I don’t see how it’s possible.” 

“Is it a definite match?”

“Well, no… technically it matches Heyes but it could match many others. The most obvious, a relative of Heyes could flag the same result, for example,” Laura responded.

“A relative?” Karnstein licked her lower lip as she considered this for a moment. “Is there anyone?”

Karnstein moved across the room to the computer, “Heyes doesn’t have any children,” she said after a moment, “No family left at all.”

“Well… no children that we know of,” Laura considered, raising her eyebrows.

“No, according to the records, all of his relatives are dead and he has no children, he’s been in prison for most of his life…” Karnstein sat back in the chair and glanced up at Laura.

“Can I see the file on the 1960’s murders?” Laura asked, taking a seat at the desk.

*

Laura chewed her lip as she read through the paper document in her hand.

“Anything?” Karnstein asked, running a hand through her hair.

“What do we know about Morgan Pearson?” Laura glanced up at her partner.

“Who?” Karnstein raised a brow.

“Heyes murdered three women but he attacked a fourth, Morgan Pearson. She escaped but that was Heyes’ downfall. What do we know about _her?”_

Karnstein nodded, turned toward the computer and began to type.

“Miss Pearson… died last year,” Karnstein murmured as she read over the information.

“Do you have medical records?” Laura walked around the desk to peer over her partners shoulder.

Karnstein scrolled, “Yes… hmm,” She shook her head, “There’s nothing before… 2003.” She sighed, her eyes skimmed quickly over the information.

“That doesn’t help,” Laura mused, realising how close she was to her partner, definitely intruding on her personal space, she stood up straight, “Does she have family?”

Karnstein tapped a few keys, “She gave up a child for adoption in 1968… but I can’t see anything else.”

“1968?” Laura frowned as she considered this. “That was probably less than a year after Heyes-”

“ _Ah,_ I see,” Karnstein nodded.

Laura walked around the desk back to her seat, “Do you think the child belonged to Heyes’?”

“There’s a possibility.”

Laura let out a long breath, “We need to find him, track him down.” 

*

Karnstein walked back into the office proudly holding up a piece of paper that looked as if she had scribbled all over it, “So according to records, the baby was adopted by a couple, Mr and Mrs Strong, unfortunately they have both passed, their adoptive son, George strong, he’s fifty-one years old and he owns the house of his adopted parents which is about a 45-minute drive from here.”

Laura pushed the file she was reading aside, “I’d say that’s a pretty solid lead.”

“Detective Simmons seemed to think so, we’re leaving in a few minutes, he’s sending a team just in case.” Karnstein readjusted her dark suit jacket and then held open the door for Laura to pass through.

*

Strong Residence, Maryland

“You put on your vest?” Karnstein asked as they pulled over on the dark quaint street just down from the residence in question.

Laura nodded, “You?”

“Yep,” she glanced in the rear-view mirror, “Here’s the team, let’s go.”

A group of officers piled out of the back of the large vehicle as they approached.

Karnstein addressed them, “Wait here. We’ll talk to the suspect,” she turned to Detective Simmons, she held up an ear piece, “We’ll be wearing these, monitor the situation, any problems, follow us,” Karnstein said, she placed in her ear piece as she turned and walked up the street.

Laura followed, quickly tapping her right side for her holstered gun out of habit. 

The house looked rather well kempt, the grass lawn had been recently mown, they stepped up onto the porch. 

Karnstein smiled at Laura before she raised her hand and knocked. 

It was a few moments before movement could be seen beyond the door but then it opened. A middle-aged man with a red button down answered the door, his hair was long and thin. He blinked at the two agents, looking between them both with surprise.

Laura couldn’t help but notice his likeness to Alexander Heyes, she could only guess that they were in fact right, George Strong was Alexander Heyes' son.

“Mr Strong?” Laura led, figuring her friendlier approach was probably better than Karnstein’s.

“Yes,” he nodded, still staring at them with what appeared to be an air of confusion.

“Mr strong, I’m Special Agent Hollis and this is my partner Special Agent Karnstein. Can we please speak with you?

He frowned, “What about?”

Karnstein held up her ID, “We just want to ask you a few questions, Mr Strong. Can we come in?”

“Sure,” he peered over their heads, looked up and down the street before he stood away from the door, allowing them in.

Laura walked on through into the living room, it was kind of old fashioned looking, like it was in need of serious make over. The tv in the corner was on, there were a few books on the small table in the room and what looked like a pile of old newspapers. She walked over and peered down at them, these papers had to be fifty years old at least. Laura frowned when her eyes landed on a pile of cuttings nearby.

“I hope you don’t mind the inter-” Karnstein began.

Laura heard the gunshot and reacted accordingly.

She turned, her gun already upholstered as her partner fell to the ground.

George Strong was moving to point his gun at her but she pulled her own trigger, Laura heard the sound of her gun firing, felt the jolt in the hand, saw Mr Strong fall backwards and a splattering of blood on the wall behind him where he had been shot.

“ _Karnstein!... Carmilla!”_ Laura knelt next to the partner who turned over to glance up at her.

She uttered quietly, “Damn, that was my favorite suit.”

Laura huffed a laugh, relieved that her partner was okay, “Good thing we wore the vests.”

The door slammed open and the team of officers swarmed into the house.

“I’m okay,” Karnstein coughed, sounding winded.

Laura grabbed her hand, slowly helping her to her feet.

Karnstein pulled off her suit jacket with a frown. She sighed as she stuck her finger through the hole in the back of her jacket.

“Let me see,” Laura smiled as Karnstein turned around and Laura was able to pull the bullet from where had become wedged in the back of her vest.

She held it up for Karnstein to see.

“So, do you think it was him?” Laura asked, glancing around at the officers as they started to get to work.

“I guess we’ll find out. Get this place searched and test his DNA, see if it’s an exact match the DNA found on the first victim.” Karnstein said she shrugged her jacket back on.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Laura said, she reached out and fixed the collar on her partners jacket before she’d given it a second thought. 

Karnstein nodded and Laura swiftly pulled her hands away, “I’m- I’m always okay.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here.”

*

Hansen's Motel, Maryland

It was only when Laura closed her motel room door and saw her partners bag on the floor near the bed did she remember that Karnstein still didn’t have a room. She turned and opened the door to find her partner with a hand raised as if she were about to knock.

“You still don’t have a room.”

“I still don’t have a room,” they spoke at the exact same moment.

“Get in here, Karnstein,” Laura said, reaching and tugging her partner by the arm into the room and quickly closing the door.

“We should probably head-” Karnstein began to say but Laura didn’t care.

The reality of the situation was settling within her and tonight… like so many other nights, she’d almost lost her partner _._ She stepped forward and pulled Karnstein into a hug.

“Are you okay?” Laura whispered into her neck.

She heard her partner swallow and then her hands slowly came up to wrap lightly around Laura’s waist.

“I guess it’ll bruise… aches a lot but getting shot is all in a day’s work…” she mumbled quietly.

Laura pulled away from the hug with a smile.

Karnstein smiled warmly at her, her hands still resting lightly on Laura’s waist.

"Let me see," Laura said.

"Sorry?" Karnstein looked a little taken off guard.

"Your back... I can take a look for you. You did refuse medical treatment and I am a doctor after all," she took a small step away.

Karnstein was quiet for a moment before she turned around and slid off her jacket, threw it onto the bed and pulled up her shirt, untucking it from her pants as it went.

Laura took over, pushing the shirt up her partners back to the centre, where a dark bruise was forming, staining her otherwise flawless skin.

"You were right, just a big bruise," Laura said quietly, she realized her hand was shaking as she pressed her fingers against Karnstein's back, accessing her partners reactions to her touch and then just a little lower down her spine.

Karnstein sucked in a breath.

"I'm sorry, are my hands cold?" Laura's lips turned upwards. 

"Not particulary," Karnstein said lowly.

Laura nodded and let go of the shirt, allowing it to fall. "Just be careful, if you're worried about it at all, I can take another look."

Karnstein turned, automatically tucking her white shirt back into her pants.

She cleared her throat, "Thank you."

"Anytime," Laura nodded.

They were both quiet for a moment, it was bordering on awkward.

“Are _you_ okay?” Karnstein asked, running a hand through her hair.

“Me? I’m…” Laura’s eyes raked over her partners flawless features, she was perfect… this woman, she was perfect in every single way. Her heart beat just a little faster as she realised this… Laura’s eye’s landed on Karnstein’s lips and in that moment, she couldn’t deny that all she wanted to do was lean in and kiss her.

_Oh no! She shouldn’t be having those thoughts..._

She took an abrupt step back, “I’m fine,” she mumbled, feeling the blush already warming her skin.

“You sure?” Karnstein frowned in her direction.

“So, it was- Was it him?” Laura cleared her throat.

“Pretty much confirmed at this point, just waiting on a few more test results,” Karnstein nodded, still looking a little wary of Laura’s odd behaviour.

“There were copies of old newspapers in the house, cuttings of articles about the Heyes' case." Laura said, watching Karnstein take a seat on the edge of the bed, “Looked as if he had done his research.”

Karnstein nodded, picking up her ruined jacket and sighed as she stuck her finger through the hole.

“You know,” Laura sat down beside her, “If we’d have just gone to the team building seminar, none of this would have happened.”

Karnstein glanced across at her, a smile forming on her lips, “True... but, it was worth it.” 

"So, what you're saying is... you'd rather get shot then go to that thing?" Laura held back a smile.

"Exactly." Karnstein smirked, "Looks at us, Hollis, we're a great team. We don't need to go to some team building crap to show that, today alone proved it."

Laura nodded thoughtfully, fiddling with the sleeve on her partner's ruined jacket, "I guess we are pretty good together..."

Karnstein was watching her closely when she looked up, her expression almost one of uncertainty.

"Pretty good _partners_ ," Laura added, feeling the need to adjust her wording, her face growing warm.

Karnstein seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before she stood up, balled up her jacket and dropped it into the trash can on the far side of the room.

"Karnstein and Hollis," she said slowly as she if she were seeing how the words tasted in her mouth.

Laura turned her head to the side in a thoughtful manner, "Hmm... I dunno about _that_... I kinda prefer Hollis and Karnstein, just... rolls off the tongue better."

Karnstein looked just a little taken aback but mostly amused, "Oh, no, no, no. It's Karnstein and Hollis," she placed her hands on her hips.

"Hollis and Karnstein," Laura stood, raising her eyebrows challengingly.

Karnstein smirked, "Agree to disagree?"

"I dunno," Laura said, turning around and picking up her bag, "I think I can get you to agree, Karnstein." 

She smiled at her partner who was stood still, staring at her as she slipped into the bathroom, letting the door fall closed behind her.


	7. The Big Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X-Files S3 - Quagmire  
> And Detour again S5

Airport, Georgia

Laura sighed as she watched Karnstein pull over in the hired car, she opened the back door and dropped her bag in before sliding into the passenger seat next to her. She’d received a call in the early hours asking her to be ready in 20 minutes and her partner hadn’t been very forthcoming with the details of the case yet.

“This is kind of short notice, you know. I had plans this weekend,” Laura said, pulling on her seatbelt as Karnstein sped off.

“Yeah, what plans?” She asked, concentrating on the road.

Laura sighed again and shrugged, “Just plans.”

“Like a date or something?” Karnstein glanced across at her.

Laura chose not to respond to that, “Tell me what we’re doing here.”

“Missing persons case,” Karnstein said, glancing in the rear-view, “Near a Lake Blue Ridge.”

“Okay. What are you thinking? Murderer? Kidnapper?”

Karnstein shook her head, “Not sure yet. There’s currently four missing people, three men and one ten-year-old boy. A torso has been found in the woods near the lake believed to have once belonged to one of the missing men.”

Laura frowned, “Great, sounds like fun,” she murmured sarcastically.

“You okay, Hollis?” Karnstein asked, looking a little amused by her sour mood.

Laura stared across with a raised brow, “If I get hacked to bits, I’m quitting.”

*

Sheriff Department, Blue Ridge, Georgia

“Hi, I’m Agent Hollis, this is my partner, Agent Karnstein. We’re looking for Sheriff Manners?” Laura held up her ID as they approached the desk.

“Sheriff Manners?” The young deputy looked up from his paperwork, “You’ll find him down by the lake, got a call this morning. Are you here about Big Blue?”

“What’s Big Blue?” Laura asked, she glanced quickly at her partner who look just as confused as her.

“The monster in the lake,” the deputy spoke without a hint of skepticism or doubt.

Laura raised a brow and Karnstein smiled and turned away from the desk as if to hide her amusement, running a hand through her hair.

“Monster?” Laura responded, suspiciously. 

“Uh huh, second body in a week.”

“Sheriff’s out by the lake?”

He nodded.

“Thank you,” She turned for the exit, Karnstein on her toes.

“ _Big Blue?”_ Laura rolled her eyes, “What have you got us into here, Karnstein.”

Her partner smiled and shook her head as she climbed into the car, “Hope you brought a swimsuit.”

*

Blue Ridge Lake, Georgia

The lake was large, it disappeared over the horizon with what looked like an endless forest of trees on one side, Laura pulled her coat tighter around herself, the sky was darkening, a sign it was about to rain.

There appeared to be a body on a gurney which was covered by a sheet, there were a few officers around and one man taking photographs of the lake.

“Sheriff Manners?” Karnstein said as they neared the scene.

A man in a dark green uniform and coat turned his head, placed his hat back on his head as he approached them.

“That would be me,” he was older, he had light sandy hair and round red face.

“Agent Karnstein,” she held up her ID, “This is Agent Hollis, what happened here, Sheriff?”

“Um… It’s probably best if you take a look at the body,” Sheriff Manners said, leading them towards it. “It’s unsettling so I’d look away if that kind of thing bothers you.”

“I’m sure we’ll manage,” Karnstein said, almost looking bored.

The sheriff took a deep breath before he grabbed the sheet and pulled it away.

Laura’s mouth dropped open and Karnstein merely raised a brow and pushed her hands into the pockets of her long dark fitted coat.

“Where’s the rest?” Karnstein said, glancing up at the sheriff.

They were looking at a pair of legs, exactly half a body, ripped apart at the waist, still wearing jeans and boots but the rest of the body was nowhere in sight. 

“This is all that was recovered from the lake,” the sheriff said, turning and staring out over the water.

“Have you been able to identify the body?” Laura asked.

“There was a wallet in the pocket, Andy Hone. He was a fisherman, been missing for a week or so.” The sheriff looked sad as his gaze returned to the body. He reached for the sheet to cover it back up, “Guess I’ll have to tell his wife.”

“Who… _what_ did this?” Karnstein asked, she looked from sheriff over the lake and into the trees nearby.

“Well, if you ask anyone around here, they’d tell ya it was Big Blue.”

“And what do you think it is?” Laura asked, not even entertaining the idea.

“Couldn’t say,” the sheriff responded, holding onto his belt.

Laura couldn’t believe what she was hearing, “It seems far more likely to me, Sheriff, that he could have been killed by a boat propeller blade or something similar.” 

“Has anyone ever seen Big Blue?” Karnstein asked, taking a few steps toward the lake and glancing up toward the sky.

“If you go into the Blue Anchor about two miles that way, every man in there claims to have seen it. But, there isn’t one shred of evidence to prove that thing really exists.” 

“Except that,” Karnstein said, turning around and pointing at the sheet between them.

*

Blue Ridge Motel, Georgia

Laura stood impatiently outside of her partners motel room, she shivered, she hadn’t grabbed her coat as she left her room, it was starting to get a lot colder, she knocked a second time.

Karnstein opened the door and walked back to her bed, she had her white shirt sleeves rolled up and appeared to be looking at a large map of the lake.

“So, what is this? Some Loch Ness crap?” Laura said, closing the door and staring at her partner.

“Loch ness is in Scotland. _This_ is Big Blue,” Karnstein glanced up with a smirk.

“ _This_ isn’t funny, people are dead.” Laura said, taking a seat next to her partner on the end of the bed.

Karnstein looked up from her map, “In your scientific opinion, what do you think it is?

“Accidental death,” Laura responded quickly.

“Okay, let’s say you’re right and Andy Hone _was_ killed by a propeller blade, what about the second victim, they only found his torso. And what about the other missing people?”

“Are you implying that you believe _Big Blue_ is _real?”_ Laura said, raising her brows at her partner.

“Not at all, I just want your opinion,” Karnstein smiled.

“It is not rare for people to drown in lakes, especially after a drink or two,” Laura shrugged.

“So, case closed?” Karnstein released a breath and ran a hand through her hair.

“What do you think?” Laura asked.

“I don’t know. I’m kind of out of my comfort zone with this one. There’s usually leads to follow, suspects to profile.”

Laura smiled, “I suggest, we talk to the Sheriff again tomorrow and if there’s no case, there’s no case and we leave, agreed?”

Karnstein chewed her lip as she looked down at her map and then back up with a nod, “I guess.”

“Good,” Laura stood from the bed, “I’m just glad no one was getting hacked to death.”

“Don’t assume, Hollis,” Karnstein said, folding up her map.

Laura scoffed, “There’s no proof of a axe murderer…”

Karnstein smirked, “There’s no proof of Big Blue either.” 

*

Blue Ridge Lake, Georgia

“You have to be kidding me,” Laura said as they stared down at a disembodied foot discovered in the woods just near the lake the next morning. 

“Who does it belong to? Could it belong to the torso discovered last week?” Laura turned to the Sheriff for answers.

“Nope, that there is the foot of Dick Anderson, I recognise the boot,” The sheriff said with a somber nod of his head.

“Who?” She frowned.

_What was happening here?_

“He was taking photographs down by the lake yesterday when you came by. He’s always been a believer.”

“In what? Big Blue?” Karnstein asked, she glanced around the trees.

The Sheriff nodded.

“You got people who can search these woods?”

“I got three deputies’ and me… so, no,” the Sheriff shrugged.

“Excuse us,” Laura said, grabbing her partners arm and walking away into the trees.

“What are you thinking?” Laura asked with a sigh.

“I’m thinking Big Blue has got a taste for human flesh,” Karnstein said, looking unimpressed by the mud now coating her leather brogues as she moved her long coat aside and pushed her hands into the pockets of her suit pants.

Laura smiled and then shook her head, “This the third body and the fifth if you’re counting the missing people.” 

Karnstein nodded. 

“What are we going to do?” Laura asked, looking back over toward the Sheriff.

Karnstein sighed and then met Laura’s gaze, “We’re going to hunt for Big Blue.” 

*

Blue Ridge Motel, Georgia

“What’s that?” Her partner asked, looking up from her bag when Laura dropped an envelope onto Karnstein’s bed as she entered the motel room.

“Photographs,” Laura responded, “One of the deputy’s found the camera belonging to the photographer that was killed last night.”

Karnstein stopped rummaging through her bag and picked up the envelope. 

“Anything interesting?” 

“There was a possibility he may have managed to capture a photo of his attacker,” Laura said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

“And?” Karnstein said, opening the envelope and peering inside.

“There’s nothing.” Laura smiled.

Karnstein dropped the photographs back onto the bed with a roll of her eyes and continued to root through her bag. 

“Just a load of photographs of the lake. How did you get on?”

Karnstein shook her head, “I asked around, there’s one suspect.”

“Who?” Laura looked up at her partner, intrigued. 

“Big Blue,” Karnstein smiled.

“ _God_ ,” Laura sighed and shook her head.

Karnstein paused and turned to look at her. “Can you drive a boat?”

“Huh?” Laura frowned at her.

“I’ve hired a boat.”

“What? _Why?_ ” Laura asked in disbelief. 

“I told you, we’re going to hunt for Big Blue,” Karnstein smirked.

I thought you were kidding, Karnstein. You don’t believe this _hysteria_ do you?” Laura said, standing from the bed.

Karnstein did not respond, she turned back to her bag.

“It’s getting dark,” Laura said, glancing out of the window.

“Scared?” Karnstein replied with a small smile.

“No, of course not,” Laura glared at her.

“Big Blue always seems to strike at night,” Karnstein shrugged. “You better get ready, we’re leaving in ten.”

“And you’re wearing that suit, are you?” Laura asked, glancing down at her partners outfit.

“I don’t have anything else to wear. I only brought suits,” Karnstein replied, shrugging on her heavy, long winter coat.

“You fall in the water with that on and you’ll drown,” Laura added.

“Only if Big Blue doesn’t eat me first,” Karnstein smirked.

*

Blue Ridge Lake, Georgia

“Okay, you may need to direct me here, Karnstein,” Laura said, feeling a little overwhelmed as she sat in the driving seat.

She’d driven boats with her father when she was younger but it had been a while and it wasn’t a skill she imagined she’d ever have to use in the field.

“We want to head to the spot where the most activity has been reported,” Karnstein said, leaning over the map next to her.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Laura murmured.

“Keep heading south,” Karnstein said.

“Huh?” 

“This way just a little more to the left… and keep going,” Karnstein said.

They both kept an eye on the green radar on the console, there was no Big Blue in sight.

“We wanna head right here,” she pointed at her map. 

“Okay,” Laura chewed her lip in concentration. “And what exactly are we going to do if we _find_ Big Blue?”

“ _Left,_ ” her partner urged.

“I know, hang on. I don’t really know what I’m- _Wait, what is that?_ ” Laura pointed at the radar.

“What _is_ that?” Karnstein asked, staring at a huge mass heading straight towards them on the radar.

“Its huge,” Laura said, gripping the steering wheel in a panic, “And we’re heading straight towards it.”

“Or it's heading straight toward us,” Karnstein added.

 _“What do we do?!”_ Laura yelled, turning the steering wheel to the right at the last second.

The crash knocked them both to the floor, Laura quickly scrambled to her feet to the grab the radio attached to the console.

 _“Mayday! Mayday! Our coordinates are…. Our coordinates are… What the hell are our coordinates?!”_ Laura yelled as water started to leak into her sneakers.

“ _What do we do?”_ She turned to look for her partner.

 _“Hollis!”_ Karnstein threw a red life preserver at her.

_“We gotta move! Come on, move!”_

Laura shrugged her life jacket on, “If we die, I’m quitting!” She yelled as she stepped out on to the deck and jumped into the water.

“Ah, I see. _It was a big old rock!”_ Laura yelled as she looked around. _“We hit a rock!”_

Laura swam toward the large rock and dragged herself up onto it, lying face down for a moment before turning over and sitting up. She grabbed Karnstein’s arm and pulled her up onto the rock next to her and she watched the boat move away from them and sink lower and lower into the water until the light went out and everything went dark.

Laura pulled out her flashlight and clicked the button, surprised to see the light turn on.

“There goes my 600-dollar deposit,” Karnstein said, gripping her leg as if she were in pain.

“What happened to your leg? Laura asked, sitting the flash light down next to them. “Did Big Blue take a bite out of you?”

She grabbed her partners leg and saw a rip down her pant leg and blood seeping from a jagged cut in the back of her calf.

“I think I might have it caught on something on the way out,” Karnstein said, pushing her wet hair away from her face.

“It’s not too bad,” Laura said, “I mean you probably won’t bleed to death but it looks like it’ll need stitching.”

“Great,” Karnstein sighed, letting her head drop back against the rock.

Laura looked around and then sighed, taking off her life jacket and sat on it. 

“That’s another suit ruined,” Laura smiled and she heard a groan coming from her partner. 

“It’s freezing out here,” Karnstein said, slowly sitting up. 

Laura took off her coat and started to remove her thick sweater.

“Can you close your eyes?”

“Why? What are you _doing?”_ Agent Karnstein asked, watching Laura pull her sweater over her head.

“I’m need to take my t-shirt off and put my sweater back on,” Laura said as her partner looked in the opposite direction. 

“Why?” 

“We need to cover it with something, your leg,” Laura said as she pulled her t shirt off and shivered in the cool air, pulling her sweater back over her head and pulling her coat back on.

“Okay, you can look,” Laura said as she moved back to her partners leg. 

“I say we swim to the bank,” Karnstein said as Laura knotted the shirt around her calf.

“In what direction?” Laura frowned, glancing around at the surrounding darkness.

Karnstein began to search her pockets and eventually pulled out her phone. 

She sighed, “My phone is dead _or ruined,”_ she shoved it back into her coat pocket and hugged her arms around herself.

“I didn’t bring mine,” Laura chewed her lip and glanced around with a frown.

“Here’s hoping it starts raining cell phones,” Karnstein shivered.

“ _Crap._ Come here, you’re injured, you need to stay warm, you might be going into shock,” Laura moved closer, wrapping her arms around her partner from behind and pulling her closer until she almost lay in her lap.

“I heard the best way to stay warm in this type of situation is to get naked in a sleeping bag together,” Karnstein’s teeth clattered together.

“Here’s hoping it starts raining sleeping bags,” Laura muttered, shivering as a particularly cruel wind blew.

“This is your fault, you wanted to find Big Blue,” Laura hugged her tighter.

“What was that?” Karnstein asked quietly.

“Shut up,” Laura murmured, Karnstein wasn’t going to scare her.

“I’m not kidding, there’s something…”

They both went quiet, Laura held her breath. She could hear creaking, like trees, she could hear her partner breathing… she could hear movement in the water close by.

“There’s something there in the water,” Karnstein whispered, reaching for the flash light and pointing in the direction of the noise as she scrambled to her feet.

“It’s heading toward us,” Laura mumbled, trying to reach for her weapon.

Carmilla pulled her gun first, four shots rang out loudly in the darkness, echoing around them for a few seconds after… followed by silence.

Karnstein pointed the flashlight toward the water but there was nothing to be seen.

“Well, there’s a chance I hit it but whatever it was… it’s gone,” Carmilla said, taking a breath. 

“Get back over here, we need to keep you warm,” Laura said.

“Do you think anybody heard our distress call?” Karnstein asked as she hobbled back toward her.

“No idea,” Laura whispered, pulled her partner down onto her lap and hugged her close.

“This is nice,” Karnstein said after a moment.

“And necessary,” Laura added, not feeling so chilly anymore.

“Do you feel okay?” She whispered.

“Cold,” Karnstein mumbled.

“Your leg?”

“It doesn’t really hurt anymore.” Laura could feel her warm breath against her neck.

“Someone will find us. If not, someone will find us in the morning,” she said with a confident nod.

They were quiet and Laura listened to her partners breathing even out.

“Hollis…” Karnstein muttered quietly. 

“Hmm?” She rubbed a hand up and down her partners arm.

“You said you had plans this weekend, what were they? … Did I actually keep you from a date?”

She didn’t respond for a moment.

“No...” She eventually sighed, “Trust me, there isn’t anybody interested in going on a date with Laura Hollis.”

“What? Are you out of you mind, Cupcake? You’re perfect,” Karnstein looked up at her, her teeth clattered together.

They were close, inches apart.

“Are you delirious? How much blood have you lost?” Laura chuckled, shaking her head.

“I mean it,” Karnstein said, closing her eyes. 

“I was actually planning on visiting my dad.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure you’d rather be at home with him right now than… freezing your ass off stuck on this rock with me.” Karnstein mumbled.

Laura huffed a laugh, she felt so tired. “Honestly, Carm… I don’t mind.”

They were quiet for a moment.

Karnstein smiled and looked as though she found something amusing.

“What?” Laura asked.

“You called me Carm,” she closed her eyes again, leaning her head back on Laura’s shoulder.

Laura blinked, she hadn't done so intentionally.

“Are we not on a first name basis yet?” Laura asked glancing around into the darkness.

Karnstein smiled, “Sure,” she looked like she was falling asleep.

“ _Hey,_ stay awake,” Laura mumbled.

She opened her eyes and their gazes met, they stared at each other. The corners of Karnstein’s lips lifted in a small smile.

“Hollis… If we freeze to death out here on this rock tonight… is there anything you’ll regret not doing?”

Laura swallowed and hugged her tighter as a cold wind blew but she couldn’t look away.

They were so close.

“I can definitely think of a few… things,” she whispered, swallowing harshly.

Laura could have sworn that her partner was looking at her lips.

“Enlighten me,” Carmilla whispered, she lifted her chin slightly.

Laura licked her lower lip and sucked in a breath as she inched just a little closer, her eyes slipping closed.

There was a noise in the water beside them and Laura looked up, immediately moving to reach for her gun.

Carmilla threw herself away, grabbed her gun resting on top of her life vest and pointed it towards the noise.

“What the hell is that?” Laura whispered, pointing her gun.

“It’s moving closer,” Karnstein said, trying to stand.

A flash light switched on and Laura was blinded, covering her eyes, she almost fell backwards.

 _“What in god’s name are you two doing?”_ Came the voice of Sheriff Manners.

“Sheriff Manners?” Agent Karnstein blinked.

He lowered the flash light and Laura could see that he was stood in water at knee height.

What are you doing, Sheriff?” Laura yelled. 

“I was patrolling the lake alongside the woods and I heard voices,” he replied.

“Our boat… kinda sunk,” Laura admitted, holstering her gun.

“Well, the bank is about 30 feet that way, if you wanna come back with me?” He said, pointing his flash light. Laura could see the trees of the woods close by and sighed, shaking her head in embarrassment.

She slid down into the fairly deep water around the rock and waited for her partner to follow, it was only a few feet before their feet touched the bottom and they waded the rest of the way to the bank. 

Agent Karnstein limped over to Sheriff Manners, “There’s a chance I might have shot it,” she said, “Whatever it was, it disappeared.”

They walked along the side of the bank in silence for a few moments, the Sheriff lead the way with this flash light out in front.

Laura wrapped an arm around her partners waist and helped her to walk.

"We need to get you to-"

“ _There! There’s something in the water_ ,” the Sheriff yelled, pulling his gun.

They all fell silent, staring at the dark water beside them.

“It’s a… _dead alligator_ ,” He lowered his gun and looked back at them.

“Alligator…” Karnstein shook her head, “It was a _god damn_ alligator this whole time.”

Laura laughed, she couldn’t help it, then they were all quiet for another moment.

“So, there really was no Big Blue,” Laura said.

“Guess not,” the Sheriff responded, “Big gator though."

“Come on,” Laura tightened her grip around her partners waist, “Let’s get you out of here.”

*

Road, Georgia

Laura looked in the rear-view mirror and then across at her partner in the passenger seat.

"Hows your leg?" She asked.

Carmilla looked around at her with a nod, "It's okay."

"Did you-" Laura began and then paused in thought as she watched the road ahead, "Did you kinda hope that Big Blue was real?"

Carmilla seemed to consider that question, "Yes," she said quietly after a moment.

"Why?"

"Because... Because, for once, it was nice to think that it wasn't a person killing all those people," her partner said thoughtfully.

Laura nodded and they were silent for a few minutes.

"So, do you think you can claim that 600 dollars back?" Laura smirked.

Carmilla chuckled, "Somehow, I doubt it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so fun to write. Do rocks show up on radar, i have no idea and I'm not googling it.
> 
> I haven't posted in a couple of weeks but I'm trying to write three stories at once so, Still falling for you is almost done so expect that soon and then more of this and the hogwarts au.


	8. The Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took the killer wears a ring idea from an episode of the X-Files called Improbable. It's a crappy episode in season 9. I tend to avoid anything that came after 7 with a few exceptions.

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

Laura stared across the office toward her partner, her eyes narrowing. Agent Karnstein had just laughed. Laura, who was sat on the edge of Danny’s desk, smiled at whatever comment Kirsch had just made, she didn’t hear it, she wasn’t listening anymore.

Her eyes flickered up to the clock on the wall, Agent Karnstein had been on the phone for fifteen minutes. _Who was she talking too?_

“Excuse me,” Laura murmured to Kirsch, hopping down from the desk and walking quickly across the office to her desk next to her partner.

Karnstein was relaxed back in her chair with one leg crossed over the other. She smiled as she listened to the voice on the other end, fiddling with a pen in her hand absentmindedly, she had been taking notes.

“Earliest could be tomorrow, SJ… if you’re lucky,” Karnstein said, tapping her pen restlessly as she listened.

“It’s the best I can do.” She listened for another moment and then nodded.

“I’ll see you then,” she added, ending the call.

Agent Karnstein jotted on the notepad in front of her and then pushed the pen between her lips as she looked up at her computer and began to type.

“Who was that?” Laura asked. 

“Working a case with an old friend,” Karnstein spoke around the pen.

“An old friend?” Laura asked, almost doubtfully. As far as she was aware, Agent Karnstein hadn’t made many friends.

Karnstein glanced up at her, removing the pen from her mouth, “From the academy.” 

“Go on…” Laura swung her chair to face her partner with a raised brow, leaning an elbow on her desk. 

“An agent in San Diego is investigating a series of murders that have taken place in or around clubs and bars over a period of 22 months. It may require some undercover work.”

She pulled up an image on her computer of what looked like the side of a person’s face, “Agent Smith was able to connect a number of victims to the same culprit by round bruises left on the body. If you look _here_ , there are three small round bruises on all of the victim's faces, likely imprinted by the perpetrator’s ring while he beat them,” Karnstein said, glancing around at her. “ _But,_ if you look a little closer…” she brought up an enhanced image, “It is actually an imprint of three small sixes.”

Laura moved her chair closer to her partners desk, “So, the perp always wears a ring with three sixes on… which makes him identifiable.”

She moved on to an image of a city map with small red circles highlighted, “ _These_ are where each of the previous five murders took place.”

“It’s almost looks like a… _six_ ,” Laura said, studying the screen.

Karnstein nodded, “ _Almost_ a six. My friend in San Diego believes the perpetrator will head _here_ next,” she pointed to an untouched area on the map.

“What’s the strategy?” Laura asked.

Karnstein glanced down at her notes, “Analyzing the previous five murders, there are two locations within that region of the city where the perpetrator will most likely go, a club and a bar. I’ve taken a look at SJ’s profile and it seems concrete and from the analysis, likely that the perp will act within the next week or so.”

“So, we head to San Diego, stake out the bars, see if this guy shows up,” Laura said, thinking aloud. 

“If you’re up for it,” Karnstein nodded.

“There’s just one thing… all we know about this guy is that he wears a ring,” Laura sat back in her chair and regarded her partner.

“True,” Karnstein nodded, “But I’ve solved cases with less.”

*

FBI Field Office, San Diego

“Agent Karnstein,” Karnstein held up her ID toward the female agent who glanced up from her computer, “I believe Agent Smith is expecting me.”

“Sure, you just need to sign in. Then go through those doors, then right down the hall, first door on the left,” the agent said politely.

Laura followed on after her partner, the office door they were sent to was open when they arrived.

“ _Carmilla Karnstein_ , look at you.” An attractive brunette rounded the desk in her trendy suit and heels and to Laura’s complete surprise, wrapped her arms around Agent Karnstein’s neck.

“SJ,” Karnstein said by way of a greeting, hugging back albeit with slightly less enthusiasm.

Laura stood in the doorway, mouth open in disbelief _. First names? Hugging? What was going on here?_

“How are you?” Karnstein asked as they pulled away.

“All the better for seeing you, I have to say,” Agent Smith smirked.

“Of course,” Agent Karnstein smiled, stepping aside, “This is my partner, Agent Hollis.”

Laura came around from her trance when she heard her name and she cleared her throat, taking a few steps into the office.

“Agent Hollis, I’ve heard _a lot_ about you, pleasure to meet you,” Smith held out her hand.

_Heard a lot about her? From who? What had she heard?_

“I’m looking forward to working with you,” she said with a polite nod.

“Well, we don’t have long, let’s get the others and work this thing out,” Smith said, walking around her desk and taking a seat.

*

“So, this is how it’ll go. _We’ll_ stake out this club,” Agent Smith said, pointed her perfectly manicured finger nail to the map on the desk and then gestured to her partner. Smith’s partner, an Agent Robson had joined them, along with 3 other agents who stood around the desk as Agent Smith lead the operation.

“Agent Karnstein and Agent Hollis will stake out the bar,” she pointed a second time and then glanced up at them.

“Following the perps usual M.O, it’ll be soon, within the next few days. He’ll go to one of these bars and he’ll be looking for a young woman, _always_ a brunette,” Smith glanced around at the team.

“We have _this_ image,” she picked up a photograph and held it up, “Taken from a surveillance camera at a bar, the night of the last murder. We _believe_ this is him.” She handed the photo on to be passed around. 

“Male, short to no hair, broad shoulders, he’s about 5.9, unfortunately the image quality is too low to really make anything else out.”

Laura stood when the meeting ended, stretching her back and running a hand through her hair, thinking about googling the nearest motel.

She watched Smith approach Agent Karnstein, “What do you think of the strategy? Is it okay? If anyone can catch this guy, it’s you.” She winked.

“SJ, are you trying to butter me up?” Agent Karnstein smirked.

“Of course, I have dragged you all the way out here from _D.C,_ and I’m being honest. We stand a much better chance with you on the team,” SJ reached out and lightly gripped Karnstein’s forearm.

“I’ll try not to let you down,” Karnstein smiled.

They seemed very close and flirty, which was a stark contrast to Agent Karnstein’s usual demeanor towards colleagues. She knew they were friends but Laura got the feeling there was something more and she didn’t like it. 

She frowned and cleared her throat loudly, Karnstein glanced over her shoulder.

“You okay, Hollis?”

“I believe we have an errand or two to run before this evening,” Laura said, shortly.

“Sure,” Karnstein nodded, “I’ll meet you at the car,” she said, before turning back to Agent Smith.

Laura's brow raised and she stared at the back of her partners head for a moment before she turned and stalked away.

*

Westwood Motel, San Diego

Laura pulled her jean jacket on over her green shirt and glanced in the mirror, running a hand through her hair when Agent Karnstein knocked on the door. She hurried to open it before turning quickly back to the mirror.

“Are you ready, Hollis?”

Laura glanced up at Agent Karnstein’s reflection in the mirror to respond but paused. She was wearing tight dark jeans and a leather jacket. She turned to look at her with an expression of surprise.

“…Yes,” she said, looking Agent Karnstein up and down. 

“You look… different,” she mumbled. Laura had never seen her partner wear casual clothes like this. Agent Karnstein looked great in a suit but Laura was used to seeing that, _this_ was different… good different.

“Thought I’d dress down, we don’t really want to draw attention to ourselves,” Agent Karnstein smiled, slipping her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

“Right,” Laura nodded, looking away and picking up her gun.

“We can’t take them, Hollis,” Karnstein said, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?” She gave her partner a quizzical look.

“Firearms are forbidden on the premises.”

Laura frowned, she’d feel naked without her weapon. She always carried it, she’d even started to carry it when she wasn’t on duty, it wouldn’t feel right.

“We’re _FBI_ agents,” she gestured between them.

“FBI agents, working undercover, who really don’t want to draw attention to themselves,” Agent Karnstein said, “We can’t take them.”

Laura sighed, dropping her weapon onto her bed, “Okay and if we run into trouble?”

Karnstein smiled, “Well, I’m sure we can handle ourselves without them.”

That was true, of course, Laura was a black belt in Krav Maga before she even signed on to the FBI and she had no doubts that Agent Karnstein could handle herself.

“Okay, we won’t take them but... be careful,” Laura said, meeting her partners gaze before heading toward the door.

Karnstein smiled and shook her head, “I’ll let you be careful enough for the both of us.”

*

Temptation Bar, San Diego

“If we sit here we can watch the entrance, see everybody who comes and goes _and_ see the alternative exit over there too,” Laura spoke discreetly to her partner as they took seats at the bar.

“Okay, there isn’t currently anybody in here who matches the guy we’re looking for, not that I expected him to be here… things are never _that_ easy,” Karnstein said, signaling to the bartender.

“I wish. I have a feeling this is going to be a _long_ night,” Laura muttered, relaxing into her seat.

*

Laura returned to her seat at the bar, glancing around as Karnstein kept her gaze fixed on the entrance.

“Wasn’t him?” Karnstein asked, not appearing at all interested in Laura’s response, she already knew it wasn’t him.

“Nope,” she sighed, taking a sip of her warm grape soda.

“How- How will we do this? This guy could be anyone. He could turn up at any time, or he might not even show at all,” Laura said, the sitting and waiting was making her agitated.

“We stake out for a reason, Hollis,” Karnstein replied coolly, “Heads up, this place is starting to fill up.”

They watched the doors all night as the bar got busier to when it started to empty and dwindle down to just a few patrons left and not one person who matched the perp was wearing the ring. They saw no one suspicious at all.

In the early hours, Karnstein disappeared, holding up her phone and returned a few moments later.

“I’ve spoken to SJ, all quiet as well, we’re giving it up for the night. We’ll come back tomorrow,” Karnstein said, shoving her phone back into her jeans pocket.

“Okay, fine by me.” Laura groaned as she stood, “I’m so tired, let’s get back to the motel and just-”

“Actually, I’m going to meet SJ, I’d like to stay informed,” Karnstein said as they headed toward the exit.

Laura frowned to herself… _Yeah, go and meet Agent Smith in the early hours of the morning to_ “ _stay informed.”_

“You’ll have loads to talk about, I’m sure,” Laura said, shortly. “I’ll see you in the morning.” With a nod, Laura turned and headed back in the direction of the motel, alone.

*

_Carmilla entered the bar, glancing around with a frown, it was darker, smokier then she remembered… She scowled as strangers pushed past her, she could hardly move; the bar was so full. She needed to find her partner right now._

_She tried to push through the crowd but she couldn’t quite find her way through, she stood up on her toes to get a view of the bar._

_Agent Hollis was there. Carmilla smiled as she watched her, she was sat talking and laughing with someone, she looked happy, she looked… beautiful._

_She needed to get over there, get to her, make her laugh like that again._

_But, who was she with?_

_Carmilla pushed someone aside to get a clear view of the bar, it was a man…_

_She couldn’t quite see his face, Hollis laughed again, placing her hand on his arm intimately, his ring catching the light and shining… three sixes._

_Carmilla sucked in a gasping breath, what was her partner doing?!_

_“Hollis,” she tried to speak, to warn her, but she couldn’t hear her._

_The room was getting louder and there were too many people. She tried to push through the crowd but she wasn’t getting any closer to her partner._

_Carmilla went to grab her gun at her side but it was missing, she didn’t have it._

_She pushed and elbowed her way through but Agent Hollis never got any closer to her. She watched her stand from her seat at the bar and follow this man toward the exit._

_Hollis! Hollis! She yelled but her partner never reacted to her calls._

_She pushed through the crowds, losing sight of her partner. She dodged and she pushed, eventually making it to the exit. She pushed open the door and fell out into the deserted street onto her hands and knees. It was silent out here... and different… She glanced up and down the dark street, scrambling to her feet and sucking in some ragged panicking breathes._

_Where was Agent Hollis?!_

_She ran down the street, Hollis? Agent Hollis!? She called but received no reply. There was no one around, she couldn’t even hear the sound of traffic nearby, there was only silence and her own breathing._

_Where was her…_

_Carmilla felt a sensation similar to getting punched in the stomach, she gaped in horror, taking a step back as the beaten body of her partner lay at her feet before her on the cold, wet ground in a puddle of her own blood._

_An agonizing sound left Carmilla’s mouth as her legs gave way and she fell to her knees._

_Laura… No… she gasped, Laura, Laura! She reached out to her…_

“Laura!”

She woke up abruptly, shot up from her bed, grabbing her gun next to her on instinct, before she paused and realized where she was. Breathing heavily, her heart pounding in her chest, Carmilla shook her head, placing her gun back on the night stand and ran a hand through her hair.

_It was just a dream, another god damn dream._

She glanced around at the time.

6.15am. 

She sighed and closed her eyes, unable to escape from the vivid images of the dream.

Clambering out of bed, she grabbed the door, ignoring the chill in the air as she walked just a few steps to her partners door and knocked. Glancing around suspiciously and impatiently as she waited.

When the door opened and Agent Hollis blinked at her drowsily, Carmilla almost smiled, she breathed a sigh, a calming sense of relief.

“ _What’s wrong?_ Are you okay?” Hollis said, concerned. She pulled Carmilla into the room and quickly glanced around outside the door as if looking for dangers before shutting it.

“I’m fine, are _you_ okay?” Carmilla asked leaning on the wall next to the door.

“Of course,” Hollis shook her head in confusion, “What’s going on? Why the abrupt wakeup call?”

“I’m sorry, it’s… it’s stupid,” Carmilla shook her head “I just… I had a bad dream is all.”

Her partner released a breath and smiled. After a moment, she grabbed lightly on Carmilla’s arm, tugging her along to sit on the edge of her bed. “You have the worst timing, considering the lack of sleep both of us have had tonight.”

“I’m sorry, go back to bed,” Carmilla said, feeling foolish and moving to stand.

“No, it’s fine. _Sit."_ She gripped her wrist, “It was just a dream, Carm. What ever it was, it was _just a dream.”_

“I know,” she swallowed, rubbing the back of her neck. “It just seemed so… _real_ at the time.”

“What happened?” her partner spoke softly.

“It doesn’t really… matter,” Carmilla sighed, shaking her head.

“Well, I wanna know, if its affected you this much…”

“Um…” she glanced up at her partner and back down at her knees.

_Should she tell her?_

“You… died,” she whispered.

She was quiet and Carmilla looked up at her.

“Just a dream,” Hollis smiled.

Moving her hand where it still lightly gripped Carmilla’s wrist up to the back of her hand where she interlocked their fingers, she squeezed as their eyes met again, “Only a dream.”

Carmilla nodded slowly.

After a moment, Agent Hollis let go of her hand and lay back on the bed with a sigh.

“What are you doing today?” Carmilla asked after a moment.

“I’m going to sleep, I need to finish a report, I might go for a run and probably make a start on this one.” Hollis spoke slowly, with her eyes closed. “And then later, I’m going to this cool bar.”

Carmilla huffed a laugh, “Might see you there.”

“What about you?”

Carmilla stretched her arms above her head, “I’ll probably head over to the office and see SJ… work on the case, I guess.”

“Have fun with that,” Hollis mumbled.

Carmilla let herself fall back onto the bed, Hollis blinked an eye open.

“I don’t know if fun is the right word,” she mumbled.

“You seem close,” her partner said softly.

Carmilla nodded, “She’s a good friend, a good agent.”

Hollis was quiet, Carmilla looked across at her before she released a breath, slowly sat up and stood from the bed.

“We’ll catch up in a few hours,” she said, glancing back at her partner once more before heading for the door.

*

Temptation Bar, San Diego

“What about his guy?” Laura said, pointing at a guy who’d just taken seat at the bar.

“I don’t see a ring, also he’s too tall,” Karnstein replied.

Laura knew this, she just wanted this thing over with, she was willing the guy to appear. She sipped her grape soda and watched the entrance.

“I’m going to the restroom,” Karnstein said, standing with a stretch and sauntering away quickly.

Laura’s eyes landed on the bartender as she picked up glasses from a table close by.

“Excuse me,” Laura said as she walked nearby her.

She discreetly pulled out her ID and hopped down from her seat.

“Hi, I’m an agent with the FBI.”

The bartender looked surprised and even a little scared, setting the glasses down.

“I don’t have a lot of information but I’m looking for a man, he wears a ring with three sixes on it, I know it’s a long shot but have you _ever_ seen anyone?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, she pulled lightly at her ear lobe.

“Sorry,” she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I can keep an eye out but it really doesn’t ring a bell. I mean, it’s not a lot to go on,” the bartender smiled with a shrug.

Laura laughed, “I know, we’re struggling here. I’m not sure we’re ever-”

An arm suddenly came around Laura’s shoulder, a voice spoke close to her ear, “Hi, Cutie.”

She looked around in alarm at Agent Karnstein.

_What was she doing…? Had she lost her mind in the restroom???_

“Thank you,” Laura briefly said to the bartender before turning to her partner who immediately dropped her arm and the act.

“What are you doing? I almost elbowed you in the face,” Laura asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

Karnstein frowned, “What are _you_ doing? You need to focus up, Hollis. We’re here to do job, not flirt with pretty girls.”

Laura blinked, she was momentarily stunned by her partners response. _Was she for real?_

“ _That_ was a _bartender_.” She pointed over her shoulder. “And I was asking her if she’d seen anyone,” Laura narrowed her eyes.

Karnstein released a breath and shook her head, “I’m sorry, I thought-”

“You thought _what?_ That I’d forgotten what I was here for? That I can’t do my job?”

Laura was starting to feel very angry, _how dare her partner lecture her about flirting and focusing on the job!_ Agent Smith instantly came to mind and her anger started to spill over.

“ _I can’t believe_ - _I_ need to focus up? _Me?”_ Laura seethed, smiling though she found nothing funny. “Flirting with pretty girls? You are such a _hypocrite_ , you know that?”

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” Karnstein raised a brow, remaining calm.

 _“SJ?”_ Laura glared.

“What about her?” Karnstein frowned.

Laura held her hands up nonjudgmentally as she accused her partner, “You’re very _close._ Is that why we came here?”

Karnstein blinked in apparent surprise, “We’re working on this case, this is _her_ case. I came here to help a friend. What exactly are you implying?”

“You _know_ what I’m implying,” Laura glared at her.

“You are…” Karnstein paused, smiled and shook her head, “We’re friends… not that its’ got _anything_ to do with you,” she pointed. “What’s your problem, Hollis?”

“My problem, _Karnstein_ , right now, is _you._ ”

Laura glanced around, conscious that they might be drawing attention to themselves and that was something they wanted to avoid.

Her eyes landed on a new face to her left. He had very short hair, clean shaven, broad shoulders. Her eyes quickly ran down his arm to his hand where it rested on the bar, a large ring sat on his finger. He was staring at the wall of alcohol in front of him, he must have just arrived, he was still wearing this jacket.

“Okay, I’m going to need you to-”

“ _Shut up. Shut up_ ,” Laura interrupted her partner, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up to a wall nearby.

“What the _fuck_ , Hollis?” Karnstein said, a mixture of anger and confusion.

“ _The bar_ ,” she said, close to her partners ear.

She looked across, her eyes narrowing, “ _Shit._ Is it him?”

“Can’t be certain. Need to get a better look at the ring,” Laura turned, headed in his direction.

“What are you doing?” Karnstein grabbed her elbow.

“ _My job!”_ Laura huffed angrily, pulling her arm out of her partners grasp.

*

Carmilla watched her partner walk up close to the suspect, she was almost the same size as him as he sat on his stool, if Karnstein wasn’t so riled up right now she might have smiled at that.

Laura turned her head and met her gaze, she moved her head in the tiniest of nods and looked back toward the bar as if she were waiting to order.

It was him.

Karnstein pulled out her phone, sending three words to SJ and pocketed her phone.

_Eyes on him_

She watched her partner talking to the bartender, images from her dream the night before invading her thoughts. _Nope. That was not happening._ She quickly made up her mind.

Carmilla pushed through the people, straight toward the bar and dropped down onto a spare stool right beside the suspect.

Laura meet her gaze quickly and gave her a _what are you doing_ kind of look to which Carmilla did not respond.

They hadn’t actually debated what they would do if the suspect emerged. Carmilla didn’t know how long it would take for the others to get to them so she made what she thought was the best decision. Before her partner could make the same one.

She ordered a drink, a glass of wine, loud enough to draw attention to herself, she bopped her head along to the beat of the noise this place tried to pass off as music, making a show of herself. 

The suspect glanced sideways at her and Carmilla gave him a small smile. He slowly looked her up and down. It took some effort to not scowl at him.

“Hi,” he said, studying her closely.

“Hey,” Carmilla smiled adding a flirty giggle for good measure.

Her eyes found her partners for a second as she had taken a seat at the side of the bar, watching carefully.

“I’m Wayne,” he said, inching just a little closer to her and holding out his hand.

“Carmilla,” she took this hand, her eyes flickering down to the ring and back up.

Three sixes.

Her forgotten glass of wine was placed in front of her and Wayne held out the cash.

“I’ll get that,” he smiled.

Carmilla smirked, it was at this point, she knew she had him. 

Her eyes flickered to her partner’s again who met her gaze but immediately looked away.

“That’s a nice ring,” she said, just grazing her fingertips along the back of his hand.

“Yeah, six is kinda my lucky number,” he nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

“What are you doing here tonight, Wayne?” She moved closer, raising a brow.

He stared at her for a moment before he responded, “Came out for a drink. Are you … here on your own?”

“Not anymore.” She sipped her wine.

“What’s a girl like you doing here all by herself?” He asked, raising his chin as he stared at her.

“Passing the time, I guess,” she shrugged. “Do you… come here often?”

“My first time,” he lifted his glass to his lips, downing the rest of the contents.

“I think I’m going to head out for a cigarette, if you’d like to join me?” He said, gesturing toward the exit.

She did not, but she couldn’t let this guy out of her sight now.

“Sure.” She nodded, moving to stand, she met her partners eyes once more.

As they headed toward the exit, his hand landed on her back and Carmilla felt a strong urge to turn around and break his arm but she refrained.

“This way,” He said quietly, they walked on up the dark street. Carmilla was conscious of them walking too far from the bar incase this didn’t go her way, so she tried to walk just a little slower than him, aware of his every movement.

He paused near the iffiest looking backstreet Carmilla had ever seen. She almost smiled and held back an eye roll. He lit his cigarette and took a drag, observing her.

“So, Wayne, why don’t you tell me about yourself.” Carmilla asked, she tried her best to look interested.

He stared at her, took another drag of his cigarette, “Why did you come out here with me? You don’t know me, I could be anyone.”

She blinked in surprise, she certainly hadn’t expected that response.

“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t trust you?” she asked, taking a small step closer to him. 

He huffed a laugh, took another drag and blew smoke in her face, before dropping the cigarette and stamping it out.

“Come on, let's head back in,” he said, turning for the backstreet, instead of heading back up the street.

“Let’s go this way, it’s the back way in,” he said, taking a few steps and turning to look back at her with a daring look in his eye. 

_Who falls for this shit?_ Carmilla wondered, not wanting to take a single step into the alleyway.

“Come on,” he urged.

She took four steps forward, “I thought you said you’d never been-”

He was quick, although she had been expecting it, his fist connected with her face and she fell against the wall next to her but managed to stay on her feet.

“ _Fucker!”_ She lifted her hand to her cheek, she scowled at him, tasting blood in her mouth.

“You don’t wanna do this, Wayne,” Carmilla said but he had already swung again.

This time she was prepared and she ducked quickly out of the way.

He swung again, she stepped to the side and grabbed his arm as he missed and twisted it back until was forced to turn and then she kicked him in the back of his leg so he fell to his knees.

“ _Bitch,”_ he groaned in pain.

Carmilla laughed.

He unexpectedly pulled his arm back and turned, roughly tackling her to the ground. Her head hit the ground hard but she ignored the pain, grabbing his forearms and head butting him.

“FBI! Move away and get down on the floor! Move Now!” SJ yelled, gun pointed.

Wayne scrambled to his feet and then paused when he saw the gun pointing in his direction.

SJ was closely followed by Agent Hollis, Agent Robson and a few other agents who quickly surrounded the perp. 

“Nice work, Agent,” SJ smiled down at Carmilla and held out a hand.

“You injured?” She asked as she got to her feet.

“No, just a knock to the head,” Carmilla responded with a shrug.

“You did good, Karnstein, _risky_ but good.” SJ smiled before she headed over to the perp who was currently being dragged to his feet.

“Are you okay?” Hollis appeared, she looked worried, bringing her hands up to Carmilla’s face, staring at her cheek and then into her eyes.

“I’m fine, just hurts a little,” Carmilla smiled.

_Christ, she’d get beat on more often if this is how her partner reacted._

“You sure?” Hollis pushed some hair behind her ear as she closely observed her.

“Yes,” she mumbled.

Hollis stared at her… _Wait, was she going to-_

“Good.” Her expression then became one of anger and she glared at her before she swiftly turned and strode away.

“ _What the-”_ Carmilla muttered.

“Hollis,” She said loudly, frowning as she watched her go.

She took a few steps, _“Hollis!”_ She yelled but her partner ignored her.

Carmilla sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose. _Fantastic. What was her goddamn problem now?_

*

Westwood Motel, San Diego 

Laura scowled in the direction of her motel room door when she heard the knock. It was Agent Karnstein of course and she had no interest in answering it. She flicked through the stations on her tv and ignored it.

_“Hollis!”_ Came a voice and she knocked again, harder.

“Hollis, I know that you’re in there.”

Laura sighed, she wanted to throw the remote at the door but instead she switched off the tv, climbed off the bed and unlocked the door. 

“What do you want, Agent Karnstein?” she said, irritably.

“I _want_ to talk to you,” she responded, sharply.

Laura looked at her then, her frown softened and she sighed when she saw the darkness and small amount of swelling on her partners face.

She moved away, leaving the door open and folded her arms.

“What’s going on? What’s your problem?” Karnstein asked, looking ticked off.

Laura felt her anger flair once more.

“ _What’s my problem!? We’re meant to be partners!_ What you did tonight was _beyond_ dangerous!” Laura yelled.

Karnstein merely shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“That guy was a potential murder, _is_ a murderer! You didn’t even have your weapon. Why do you do this?” Laura said, pointing a finger at her.

“I was doing my job,” Karnstein kicked the door closed with her heel and took a step into the room. “I do a lot of things you wouldn’t do, it was the reason you were assigned to me, _don’t you remember?”_

Laura was angry for number of reasons, she was angry at her partners behavior in the bar, she was angry with how things had played out and her reckless behavior but she was mostly angry with herself. She was angry because some how she’d let herself like Agent Karnstein a lot more than she had intended to, a lot more than she should. This case seemed to have brought a lot of buried emotions to the surface and Laura was struggling to keep on top of it.

“Well it appears I haven't been doing a very good job. You could have been seriously hurt tonight. It was reckless and unpredictable,” Laura said, meeting Karnstein’s gaze.

“Why does it matter? Everything worked out, _happy ending,”_ Agent Karnstein looked like she’d had enough of this conversation.

“Because next time it might not _be_ a happy ending,” Laura said, staring at her.

“Risk is a part of the job, Hollis, I learned that the hard way. _Hell_ , I learned _that_ when my father died,” she said taking a step closer.

They stared at each other, Laura released a breath she’d been holding. Her gaze shifting to the bruising on the side of her partners face.

“Sit down,” Laura said, calmly, gesturing toward the bed.

“ _What?”_

“Just _sit down,_ I’ll be back in a second,” Laura headed for the door.

When she came a few minutes later with a bucket of ice, Agent Karnstein was sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her to return.

They were both silent as she grabbed a small towel from the bathroom and wrapped some ice up in it.

“Here, you can put this on your face,” Laura said quietly, handing her partner the ice.

Laura lightly touched her chin until Carmilla relented and moved her face to the side.

She edged closer, Carmilla shifted her legs apart so Laura could step in-between.

“How’s that?” She asked, lightly pressing her fingers against her cheek.

“Hurts,” Carmilla breathed out with a small smile.

“Where else are you hurt?” She asked softly.

Carmilla met her gaze, “Just the back of my head from where it hit the ground… and my feelings,” her lips twitched up into a small smile.

Laura shifted her hands up the back of Carmilla’s neck and into her hair, slowly running her fingers up through it and feeling the back of her head as they stared at each other.

She watched as Carmilla’s eyes closed and she took a breath, moving her head back into Laura’s hands.

“I’m sorry,” Laura whispered. “I just… I care about you.”

Carmilla opened her hooded eyes and their gazes met again, they were quiet for a beat.

“I’m sorry too, Laura,” Carmilla breathed out.

Laura sucked in a little gasp… her partner had uttered her name.

Her eyes flickered down to Carmilla’s lips as she let out a shuddering breath when Laura’s hands clenched in her hair. Carmilla’s hand gripped the back of her knee at that and their eyes met again.

She wanted to… _she really wanted to_ , and if her partners piercing stare was anything to go by, she wanted it too.

There was nothing stopping her from… _Wait..._

“Sorry,” Laura mumbled, coming to her senses with a blink and unclenching her fingers. She stepped away quickly, almost tripping over her own feet.

“Put the um… the ice on your face,” Laura said, clearing her throat.

Carmilla brought the towel up to her face and their gazes met again.

“Other than that, you’ll be… you’ll be good,” Laura added, fisting her hands together.

“Actually, if that’s all…” Carmilla stood, keeping the ice on her face as she moved toward the door, “I should probably…”

“Sure,” Laura nodded, “If um… if you need me, you know where I am.”

Carmilla opened the door and glanced around, “I’ll see you in the morning.” She said, pulling the door closed behind her.

The room was silent, Laura didn’t move from her position, she stared at the door. _Okay, that was a whirlwind of emotions._

She shouldn’t be thinking about her partner like that, no matter how she felt about her, Laura knew that but how could something wrong feeling so absolutely right?

She took a step toward the door, she shouldn’t, she knew she shouldn’t.

She reached out and grasped the handle, pulling the door open before she had a chance to reconsider.

Quite unexpectedly, Carmilla who must have been leaning on the other side of the door, fell straight over the threshold, right into her and they fell to the floor in a mess of limps.

“ _Shit! Goddamn it!”_ Carmilla groaned.

Laura looked up to find Carmilla looking down at her, one of her arms disappearing somewhere above Laura’s head and a hand gripping her shoulder.

It didn’t seem like a decision needed to be made at this point, it seemed inevitable.

There was less than a second between their eyes locking and their lips touching.

This was followed by a frantic few seconds of desperate kissing where teeth knocked and noses bumped but when they finally fit, Laura whined with what may have been relief.

Her hands, which had become lodged somewhere between them found Carmilla’s waist and pulled her down on top of her fully which earned a groan from Carmilla. Then she slid her hands up into her hair, clutching at it frantically.

Carmilla’s hand which was cold from the ice she must have still been clutching only seconds ago, found her cheek and slide behind her neck.

When Carmilla’s leg slipped between hers, Laura planted her foot on the floor, twisting them until Carmilla hit the floor and Laura landed on top.

 _“Hmmff,”_ Carmilla moaned, pulling away from the kiss and grabbed at the back of her head. “ _Fuck, fuck, fuck,”_ she groaned in pain, sucking in some short breaths.

“ _Crap!_ I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I completely forgot!” She sat up on Carmilla’s hips and stared down at her with a frown of worry.

Carmilla brought a hand to her swollen cheek with a sigh and looked up at Laura from her position on the floor.

Laura shook her head, embarrassed, her face starting to heat up. She shifted, standing quickly and reached out a hand for Carmilla to grab.

“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head again.

Once Carmilla was on her feet, there was moment of quiet when they both just stared at each other.

Laura swallowed, _what was going to happen now?_

“I’m sorry, it’s been an emotional night… for both of us,” Laura said, no longer able to hold Carmilla’s gaze. She took a step back and ran a hand through her hair.

“Right,” Carmilla nodded, clearing her throat.

There was another moment of silence.

“That was… that was probably a mistake, _right?”_ Laura asked.

Carmilla sucked in a breath, “Look, we- we shouldn’t blame ourselves for some stupid thing that happened in the heat of the moment… Like you said, emotions are high. We’re both feeling a little sensitive right now and I’m willing to look past it if you are.”

“Of course,” Laura nodded, feeling an immediate sense of relief. 

“Okay,” Her partner breathed out.

“We can just… pretend like it never happened,” Laura forced a smile, “ _Noooo_ problem. _At all.”_

Carmilla did not respond with any enthusiasm, she reached down to the floor to grab her ice, “Good night, Agent Hollis.”

Carmilla walked out of the door which was still wide open and disappeared into the darkness.

Laura sighed then, the smile falling from her face. She slowly reached out to close the door before falling face first onto her bed.

“ _Oh nooo,”_ she groaned into the sheet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post this today but I want it off my mind. Hope that wasn't super boring, feel like it was.
> 
> need more motel room sharing up in dis


	9. The In-Between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So instead of writing just the case as I do every chapter, I decided to write the in-between this time for a change. 
> 
> X-Files episodes - The Pine Bluff Variant (S5) and Small Potatoes (S4)

Folger Park, Washington D.C

“I’ve circled the park three times, still no sign of the suspect,” Karnstein’s voice came through the speakers and Laura perked up.

Laura stared hard at the screens in front of her searching for her partner, she was currently sat in a large unmarked van, next to Assistant Director Belmonde and one other agent.

“Stay alert. We’re expecting the suspect any minute now, Agent Karnstein,” Belmonde responded, also watching the screens carefully.

There were eight plain clothed agents in the park, one of them was Agent Karnstein, she ran around the park at a slow pace as if she ran there every day. A few of the agents were wearing hidden cameras, they were sitting on park benches, raking leaves or casually strolling the perimeter.

They were waiting for a man named Marcus Braidwood, a high-ranking member of terrorist militia organization. They’d received word that he was expected to arrive in the park to meet with an associate. This would likely be the Bureau’s best chance to apprehend Braidwood before he could make his next move. 

Laura agitatedly tapped her fingers against the desk in front of her, willing Braidwood to just show his face so they could get this over with. As Laura and Agent Karnstein belonged in the violent crimes sector, they usually didn’t work on cases that were terrorist threats to national security but they had been specifically chosen along with a number of other agents to work the case as they had had very little exposure in terrorist circles and would therefore be unlikely to attract unwanted attention.

She chewed her lip as she waited for something to happen, she’d been sat in this van for forty minutes occasionally catching a glimpse of her partner on one of the hidden cameras.

She watched Agent Karnstein run past an agent on a bench who was wearing a camera. Her loose black sweater with the sleeves pulled up made her look smaller than usual, Laura couldn’t help but think she looked cute. Though she knew she shouldn’t think such things about her partner, considering everything that happened between them and especially not at a time like this.

The day after the kiss, things had been _a little_ awkward but Carmilla had been all business since. Neither of them had mentioned it and it was unlikely either of them would. Luckily, they had been so focused on this case since their return to D.C, that things had for the most part, returned to normal. It helped that they were working with a team, that way they’d spent almost no time alone together.

“Clear, no sign of him,” an agent said after a few moments. 

“South entrance clear,” came another voice.

“Karnstein… make for the west entrance,” Belmonde instructed, calmly.

Laura watched Agent Karnstein run past another agent.

“Hold up,” Karnstein said, “There’s a bus, he could be on it.”

A camera turned toward the north entrance, Laura narrowed her eyes, watching a number of people stepping off.

“ _Yes, there!_ He’s on the Bus!” Laura called, pointing at a figure on the screen.

 _“That’s him,”_ Belmonde whispered in concentration.

“Suspect heading south,” an agent said.

“Stay close, Karnstein,” Belmonde said.

They watched Agent Karnstein casually follow the suspect and number of other park dwellers down a path heading toward the center of the park.

Braidwood was short and stocky, he had a receding hair line and was wearing a leather jacket that looked too large for him. He stopped and took a seat on a bench next to a man reading a newspaper.

“Hold positions,” Belmonde instructed. _“Hold.”_

Braidwood exchanged words with this gentleman, he glanced around and then stared off down the path to his right.

“What is he looking at?” Laura wondered aloud.

The camera veered left following the suspects eye line, landing on Agent Karnstein who was stretching her legs nonchalantly near a tree.

“Karnstein, he’s watching you,” Laura frowned.

Agent Karnstein took a few steps away, moving behind the tree and Braidwood turned back to talk to the gentleman on the bench.

They exchanged a few more words and then he reached into his coat pocket and withdrew an envelope. 

“ _Wait…_ wait for it,” Belmonde ordered. “We’ll close in on both of them.”

Laura blinked and Braidwood was suddenly on the move, quite swiftly getting to his feet and running, disappearing from the camera view and into some trees nearby.

“ _Suspect is on the move,”_ Belmonde yelled. _“Shit,_ he must have realised he was being surveilled!”

 _“I’m on him,”_ Karnstein said, taking off after the suspect.

“ _Agents!_ Don’t let _either_ men escape, we want to bring in both men if we can!” Belmonde ordered.

Several agents ran toward the gentleman with the newspaper still sitting on the bench.

“He shouldn’t get far if Agent Karnstein is on his tail,” Belmonde said confidently.

“Agent Karnstein?” Laura asked, her partner had been quiet for a few seconds too long for her liking.

“Agent Karnstein, do you copy?” Laura asked again.

“Karnstein, suspect is very dangerous, approach with extreme caution,” Belmonde added.

They watched the plain clothed agents apprehend the second man but received no further communication from Agent Karnstein.

“Does anyone have eyes on Braidwood or Agent Karnstein?” Laura asked, starting to feel panicky.

“That’s a negative,” an agent replied.

“ _Agent Karnstein,_ _respond.”_ Laura ordered, staring wildly around at all of the screens. 

She gritted her teeth, quickly making up her mind.

 _“Dammit!”_ She kicked her chair away, threw open the doors and started running toward her partners last known location, ignoring A.D Belmonde’s calls for her stop.

She ran south through the park, pulling her gun from its holster on the way, two plain clothed agents following after her as she ran into the trees.

“ _Agent Karnstein?!”_ she yelled, slowing her pace and raising her weapon. “ _Agent Karnstein?!”_

“ _Over here!”_ Karnstein could be heard nearby.

Laura took off again, stumbling through the trees, she found her partner standing over Braidwood, who lay face down on the ground.

Karnstein’s hand at her side was dripping with blood but she appeared to ignore whatever injury she had sustained.

“Got him,” she said, turning toward Laura and the agents as they arrived on the scene.

“Is he-” Laura started to say.

“Unconscious,” Karnstein shrugged, stepping away as the other plain clothed agents took over apprehending Braidwood. 

“What happened, Karnstein?” Laura asked, feeling anger starting to take over now she knew her partner was safe.

“He tried running but gave up when he realized he wasn’t going to get away. He tried to take me on.” Karnstein said, watching as Braidwood was pulled to his feet.

“Why weren’t you responding?”

“I didn’t really have the chance, you know what it’s like, Hollis,” Karnstein responded, starting to look irritated by Laura’s questioning. 

“Someone could have helped you, he’s a dangerous guy.” She frowned.

“Does it look like I needed help?” Agent Karnstein smirked. She moved to touch her face and then seemed to remember her hand was bloodied and looked down at it.

“Let me see your hand.” Laura sighed, feeling herself start to calm.

*

Agent Karnstein sat on the back of the van as Laura stood cleaning her hand.

“You’re lucky this doesn’t need a stitch, what exactly did this?” Laura frowned in concentration as she stared at what was actually quite a small wound, the amount of blood made appear somewhat worse.

“He may have had a _tiny little_ blade,” Karnstein shrugged, in a bored manner, not meeting her gaze. 

_“What-_ _Kar_ \- You know what, you never listen to me so I’m not going to waste my breath,” Laura sighed, shaking her head.

“I’ll be fine.”

“This time.” Laura muttered, grabbing a bandage, “I swear every case we’ve worked lately you’ve been injured.”

“Rather me than you, at least you’re the doctor,” Agent Karnstein stared down at her hand as Laura bandaged it.

“Done?” Karnstein asked, finally looking up at her.

Laura nodded, staring into her partners dark eyes, it felt like the first time they’d actually properly looked at each other since San Diego. _Oh no, step away, Hollis. Too close._

“Agent Hollis,” Laura looked up to meet A.D Belmonde’s incensed gaze. “You disobeyed my order, I asked you to stay in the van.”

Laura blinked in surprise, “…I had to make sure my partner was okay, Assistant Director.”

“I hope Agent Karnstein’s unconventional conduct isn’t brushing off on you, Agent,” Belmonde narrowed her eyes at her.

“Certainly not,” Laura replied, straight-faced.

Belmonde stared at her for a moment longer before addressing them both, “The team will assemble tomorrow morning at 10am, have a good evening Agents,” Belmonde said with a nod before striding away.

Laura looked down at the ground with a sigh, she felt like she was back at school and she was being reprimanded for skipping class or something.

“You coming over to the dark side, Hollis?” Agent Karnstein smirked, looking immensely satisfied by what she’d just witnessed.

“Shut up,” Laura sulked, pushing her partners bandaged hand away and shaking her head, embarrassed that she was witness to that.

“Don’t worry about it, she didn’t really look all that angry, trust me, I would know,” Karnstein said. “Belmonde likes to remind people who’s in charge.”

“This is your fault,” Laura said meeting her partners eyes, she couldn’t help but smile.

“No one asked you to come after me, Hollis,” Karnstein said, amused.

“Next time… I won’t bother,” Laura said, jokily trying to close the van door on her partner.

Laura was suddenly struck by how normal things felt, this was probably the most alone time they'd had since… _the incident_ and they were getting along like they always did. Except now, Laura was thinking about it and she felt her face grow warm. She swallowed, letting go of the door as Carmilla chuckled and stood up. 

“You okay, Hollis?” Carmilla asked, wiggling the fingers on her bandaged hand absentmindedly.

Laura glanced around the park, “We need to get out of here.”

“My car is a block that way, I’ll take you home,” Agent Karnstein said, pointing toward the exit.

“No, you’d have to go out of your way, you live closer to here anyway,” Laura gave a dismissive wave.

“I can’t go back to my apartment tonight,” Carmilla shrugged, “So, it’s not really a problem.”

“Why not?” Laura asked, turning to look at her partner.

“My apartment building is being fumigated… not for first time _.”_ Carmilla shook her head, looking a little disgusted.

_“Really?”_

“Yeah, why would I make something like that up?” Karnstein said with a raised brow as they both started on the path toward the nearest exit.

“Well actually… I’ve seen your apartment building and honestly that doesn’t really surprise me,” Laura smiled.

Karnstein shrugged, “The rent is cheap.”

“That doesn’t surprise me either. Where are you staying tonight?” Laura glanced sideways at her.

“Motel, I guess.”

Laura sighed, she couldn’t believe she was about to do this, “You can stay at my place.”

“Hollis, you don’t have to do that. You know I’ll be fine at a motel,” Agent Karnstein shook her head.

“We stay in enough motels, Karnstein.”

Karnstein looked undecided.

“This will be free, you’ll have _my_ company and if you’re lucky, I’ll even make you dinner,” Laura smiled.

_What was she doing? This was the worst decision she could make considering everything._ _This would be a situation to avoid._ _Definitely avoid!_ Having Agent Karnstein in her home felt like a very bad idea but underneath all that, Laura _wanted_ her there.

“Are you sure?” Karnstein mumbled, catching her eye.

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have offered.”

 _Did she really have a choice? It would have been rude not to offer her partner a place to stay, even if there was a chance things could be uncomfortable. It would all be fine. In fact, this would probably be good for them, they needed to reconnect and get back to where they were before… before the incident._ _This would be the perfect time to do that..._

*

Laura’s Apartment, Arlington, Virginia

“So... this is me,” Laura said, as they stepped over the threshold into her dark apartment. She cleared her throat and glanced around quickly as she switched on the overhead light, though she hadn’t been expecting a guest, to her relief, the apartment was relatively tidy.

Carmilla dropped her overnight bag near the door, she didn’t say anything, just glanced around with a nod, not quite as cool and collected as she usually was.

“Guess I’ll… give you the tour. This is the living room, slash kitchen, as you can see.” The kitchen area was to the left, she gestured down a short hall on the other end of the room, “That’s my bedroom on the right and bathroom is on the left.”

“It’s a nice place,” Carmilla said.

“Thanks,” Laura mumbled, watching her partner walk around her living room, taking it all in, the silence was making Laura incredibly jittery. Carmilla picked up a frame, a picture of Laura and her parents.

“Is that your mom?”

“Yes,” Laura said, approaching her side.

“You look a lot like her.” 

Laura nodded, running a hand through her hair.

_Maybe this had been a bad idea…_

They were quiet as Carmilla stared at the photograph and then Laura shook her head, getting back on task.

The atmosphere was undeniably uncomfortable.

“I’ll see what I can make us for dinner,” she said, moving over to the kitchen and opening the fridge, staring but not really seeing anything. 

“Can I grab a shower?” Karnstein asked after a moment. 

Laura was slightly startled; the silence had become unbearably loud.

“Sure, let me… um, let me grab you a towel,” Laura said, almost running for her bedroom.

She grabbed a towel from the closet, realising she was holding a tomato from the fridge, she almost smiled.

“Here. W _ait, no_ , the towel is for you, not the… unless, you… wanted a tomato?” Laura could feel the face growing warm.

_Why would Carmilla want a tomato?!_

Carmilla smiled, “Thanks but I’ll probably just stick with the towel.”

Laura nodded, not meeting her partners gaze and just turning back for the kitchen, hearing the bathroom door close a few moments later.

 _Okay Hollis, what the frick was that!? Get a grip!_ She hit her head lightly on the countertop. _Girl the hell up! When Carmilla returns from the bathroom, you are going to be a decent host and not an awkward mess!_

_*_

“Smells good.”

Laura glanced over her shoulder from where she was stood at the stove, noting her partners sweat pants, it was still odd to see Carmilla so dressed down.

“Is a chicken stir-fry okay?” she asked, turning off the heat.

“Of course. So… I took the bandage off to take a shower. Do you have another?” Carmilla asked, holding her palm up. “It bled a little when I got out.” 

“Sure, I have a kit around here somewhere. Just… one moment,” Laura took off toward her bedroom.

When she returned with her kit, Carmilla was sitting on a stool at the kitchen isle.

Laura reached out for her partners hand, it was cool in her warm hands. “It still looks okay.”

She glanced up, Carmilla was studying her. Laura swallowed, she was close enough to smell the clean, fresh scent that still clung to Carmilla after her shower. She turned for her kit, breaking their eye connect.

“Is this… Al Green?” Carmilla asked quietly, raising a brow as she listened to the quiet music which was floating around the room.

“Do you not _like_ Al Green?” Laura asked, turning back toward her with the bandage.

“No, no, this is fine,” Carmilla shook her head, holding out her hand.

Laura stared hard at her partners hand as she bandaged it, not daring to look up at her, _it wasn’t this tense earlier in the park… but now they were alone and gentle music was playing and there was the comforting sound of heavy rain lashing against the windows outside and oh my god, you’re staring at her again!_

“There. That should be… fine, you’ll be good,” Laura said, reaching for her scissors and cutting away some dangling bits of loose bandage.

“Thank you,” Carmilla said quietly.

Laura glanced look up at her again, _how could Carmilla not be thinking of the kiss they had shared because right now Laura couldn’t get it out of her mind._

“Would you…” Laura whispered, “…like some wine? I may have had a small glass already.”

Laura didn’t even know if her partner drank wine… maybe wine wasn’t even a good idea given the circumstances...

“Sure,” Carmilla replied, seemingly quite relaxed.

Laura turned abruptly, walking around the kitchen isle to the bottle she’d left on the side.

“Do you need any help with dinner?” 

“Nope, it’s almost done,” Laura said, handing her partner a glass of wine across the isle.

“Actually,” she said, turning back to the stove and focusing her attention back on the food, “Could you grab plates from that cabinet over there?”

Carmilla seemed to be completely at ease but Laura still felt anxious, she chewed her lip as her partner wandered around her kitchen. _But_ _this is what they needed_ , she told herself again, _they just needed to spend some time together, back get to that place they were at before. The awkwardness would disappear once they got back into that groove..._

_But… could they go back now?_

“Dig in,” Laura said, placing down Carmilla’s plate, grabbing her own before taking a seat beside her and giving her partner a quick sideways glance.

Laura took a large sip of her wine before she started to eat, they were both quiet but it was a comfortable quiet, the cutlery clanking off of their plates. The quiet music seemed to ease the tension somewhat.

“This is really good, thank you,” Carmilla said after a moment. 

“Really? Thanks _.”_ Laura smiled.

“So, do you think Assistant Director Belmonde will bring it up again?”

Carmilla shook her head, “I doubt it… she likes you.”

 _“She does?”_ Laura gave her partner a surprised glance.

“That’s what she told me. Well, she said, _Hollis is a good agent_ … that means she likes you,” Carmilla gave her a reassuring smile.

“Do _you_ think I’m a good agent?” Laura wondered aloud.

“Hollis, do you think I’d have kept you around if you weren’t?” Carmilla raised her brows, “Why are you questioning yourself?”

Laura shrugged, “I guess I’ve always kind of felt a little inadequate next to you, I’ll admit… I mean, you’re _you.”_

“And you’re _you_ ,” Carmilla watched her closely. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself, Hollis.”

Laura couldn’t hold her gaze, looked back down at her plate and then took another sip of her wine.

“Do you think we’ll get the medal of valor for catching that guy today?” Laura grinned at her improbable thought.

Carmilla huffed a laugh, “Technically _I_ caught the guy and I probably _am_ due the medal of valor…” She looked as though she were giving that some genuine thought.

Laura shook her head, “Full of yourself much?”

Carmilla just smiled and sipped her wine.

“You’re not wrong though…” Laura added.

The tension was waning, she started to relax… or maybe that was the wine, she was happy for it anyway.

“Did your dad ever get anything like the medal of valor?” Laura asked.

“Not that I know of. I do have a memorial star somewhere.”

Another quiet moment passed as they ate.

“Do you… We never really… _talk much_ , do we,” Carmilla said, quietly.

Laura glanced up, trying to work out what that statement meant. Carmilla kept her eyes on her plate.

“What like _really_ talk…like not just work stuff? No, we don’t,” Laura responded, staring at her partner suspiciously.

“Talk to me,” Carmilla said quietly, glancing up and meeting her gaze.

*

Laura poured the last of the wine into their glasses and pulled her legs up underneath her on the couch as she faced her partner.

“…And there _I_ was, it’s now like three in the morning and we’ve wandered off into the park and into these woods close by and it’s just me and my prom date, Daniel because my best friend Kelly disappeared with her date somewhere else, and I know he’s thinking it’s now or never. I mean, its _prom night_ and _I’m_ thinking…. Laura smiled, shaking her head.

“What are you thinking?” Carmilla mused, sipping her wine.

“I’m thinking, honestly, I’d much rather have had Kelly as my prom date,” Laura shook her head, smiling. She could feel her face growing warm.

Carmilla chuckled, “I know that feeling. So, did you do it?”

“Almost…” She sighed. “We go back to Daniel’s car and we kinda get into it. There’s some kissing, he’s getting a little handsy. I think at this point we’ve both pretty much accepted that this is _the_ _moment…_ And then a cop knocks on the window.”

“Someone called _the cops?”_ Carmilla grinned. 

“So, some other kids from our prom had kinda the same idea as us but they tried to make a camp fire in the woods that got a little out of control and that’s how my night ended. Actually, my dad drove down, picked me up and I went home.” Laura smiled reminiscently. “And I was kinda glad, honestly.”

“Was that the last of Daniel?” Carmilla leant her arm along the back of the couch.

Laura considered that for a moment and then nodded, “Yep… poor guy. I strung him along for _way_ too long.”

“I can’t believe I’m telling you this stuff,” Laura shook her head smiling as she sipped her wine.

“Why?” Carmilla watched her closely.

“It’s personal stuff…” Laura shrugged, “You’re… you know… _Work stuff.”_

Carmilla nodded and looked down at her glass.

“Do you ever… wish things were different?” She murmured thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?” Laura narrowed her eyes.

“Do you ever wish that you could go back… go back and do things differently?” Carmilla looked up, her gaze intense.

“... Do _you?”_ Laura’s brow furrowed.

Carmilla licked her lower lip but didn’t respond.

“Carm, I wouldn’t change anything,” Laura said sincerely.

“Nothing at all?”

“ _Nothing_.” Laura whispered.

They stared at each other. _What was Carmilla wishing she could change?_

“Would you… _honestly_ change anything?” Laura asked.

“Maybe,” Carmilla shrugged.

“You mean like, what you told me about your first case? Because Carm, I understand that you have some regrets but those were the things that shaped you into the agent you are today…” Laura said quietly.

“No, I wouldn’t change that.” Carmilla finished the last of her wine.

“Then… _what?_ ” Laura stared at her.

Carmilla placed down her glass, “It doesn’t matter. It’s getting kinda late, don’t you think?”

“Right,” Laura whispered, frowning down at the glass in her hand.

_Did Carmilla have regrets about her?_

“Could I get a blanket or something for the couch?” Carmilla’s word interrupted her thoughts and Laura glanced up at her. 

_“Sorry. Yes,_ I’ll grab one,” she hurriedly got to her feet, disposing of their glasses in the kitchen before heading toward her bedroom, still thinking about what Carmilla had just said. _Why would she want to change things?_

“Good night,” Laura said, hesitantly as she handed her partner a blanket.

“Night,” Carmilla said quietly.

“If you need anything or there’s a problem-”

“I’ll be fine, Hollis,” Carmilla interrupted.

“Okay, _great…_ Yeah so, good night…again. I’ll just, I’ll be in the… in the bathroom,” Laura rambled, backing away a few steps before turning and almost sprinting away.

She breathed a sigh of relief once she closed the bathroom door. She felt a little woozy, no doubt from the wine, she leaned on the counter.

 _Okay so that wasn’t so bad, that was actually an enjoyable evening._ She wondered again what exactly Carmilla had wanted to change. _Did she regret their partnership? Was it about the kiss?_ Yeah it kind of made things awkward between them but Laura certainly didn’t regret it _. She wouldn’t take it back… would she?_

A few minutes later, Laura quietly stepped out of the bathroom, leaning on the wall looking into the now dark living room.

“Carmilla…?” Laura whispered.

She sat up on the couch to look over at her. “You okay?”

“I was just… thinking about what you said about changing things. Obviously, I don’t know what’s playing on your mind but there’s nothing stopping you from trying to make those changes now… if you can.”

“What if… there’s a chance it won’t go my way?” Carmilla said quietly.

“When has that ever stopped you before?” Laura smiled.

“Okay, let’s say, for instance…” Carmilla sat up further, running a hand through her hair. “You start working on a new case and it seems the same as every other case, and you think you know _exactly_ how it going to go except... _it doesn’t._ This new case leads you down a path that you were _completely_ not expecting but… you can’t close the case because you… don’t have enough evidence.” Carmilla seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “You could take a risk and hope that it works out but there’s also the chance it could go _badly_ and potentially ruin everything. _Or_ … you could do nothing… and let the case go cold.” 

“Well, you can’t do that,” Laura said releasing a breath. “Carm, you always take the risk…” 

“You take the risk but you could lose me, would you do it?” Carmilla stared across the room at her.

“No, absolutely not.” Laura said, without a doubt.

“Okay,” Carmilla nodded, “I think I got the answer I needed. Good night, Cupcake.”

Carmilla lay back down, disappearing from Laura’s view.

_What was that all about?_

*

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

“Come on, Hollis. If we’re late for this meeting, Belmonde will not be pleased,” Agent Karnstein said, pulling on her suit jacket and collecting up some papers from her desk.

“I haven’t finished my report yet,” Laura groaned, not moving from her desk.

“Neither have I. She’s just going to congratulate everyone on the case, she’s not going to expect finished reports,” Karnstein said, checking her watch.

“I hope not,” Laura said, scrambling to her feet.

“Come on,” Karnstein said, taking a few steps toward the exit.

“I hope she brought baked treats for everyone,” Laura said with a hopeful smile.

“That’ll be a first. Oh, before I forget, I think I left my toothbrush at your place,” Agent Karnstein said from the door before turning and heading out.

“Laura, _hold up.”_

“Danny. You okay?” Laura asked as Danny approached her. 

“Yeah, just haven’t seen you guys around for a while. All okay?” 

“Of course, just been working a case with Belmonde,” Laura nodded.

“Did I hear Karnstein say something about leaving a _toothbrush_ at your place?” Danny furrowed her brow and smiled as if she were certain she’d heard wrong, glancing in the direction of where Carmilla last was.

“Yep,” Laura nodded.

Danny blinked, taken aback.

“ _Oh!_ Carm’s apartment building was being fumigated so she slept on my couch last night,” Laura smiled, clearing things up. 

“ _Carm...”_ Danny whispered, raising her brows.

“Agent Karnstein,” Laura corrected herself.

“You guys… seem super close now,” Danny said, rubbing at her back of her neck.

“Kinda? We do spend a lot of time together,” Laura shrugged.

“Yeah of course,” Danny nodded, “Where you headed?”

“Meeting with Belmonde,” Laura sighed unhappily.

Danny smiled, “In that case, you should _probably_ go to that. _We_ should have lunch at some point though…”

Laura backed away toward the door, conscious that she was late, “Lunch? _Sure,_ but I really gotta go to this meeting right now,” she hurried out of the office.

*

“…The two suspects were taken into custody yesterday afternoon and so the assignment was a success. With another high-ranking militia member out of the picture, they know we’re on to them and that they can be easily identified.”

“I’d like to congratulate you all on a successful assignment and a job well done,” A.D Belmonde said, standing behind her chair at the meeting table.

She started an applause, Laura smiled as she watched Agent Karnstein roll her eyes as everyone joined in.

“I expect reports by 9am Friday,” Belmonde said, stepping away from the table.

“Agent Karnstein. Agent Hollis. Before you leave, I have a case for you.” 

Laura turned back to A.D Belmonde as she handed Agent Karnstein a file.

“Now you’re back in violent crimes, _this_ landed on my desk this morning. It looks like we could be working against the clock on this one, no time to waste, Agents.”

“We’ll get right on it,” Agent Karnstein said with a nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels kind of filler to me, even though some important conversation is had. I always try to make every single chapter count in every story i write but this somehow feels like the most filler chapter I've ever written.  
> The next chapter is heavy and continues where this left off so i wanted this to be kind of light. I've written continuously which is why there hasn't been chapter for a few weeks because I didn't break the chapters down, i just wrote continuously into the next case and the same for the following two chapters. I should be be posting every week for at least for the next 4 weeks if all goes to plan. 
> 
> Thanks for reading.
> 
> Sarah


	10. The Close Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X files episode - Beyond the Sea (S1)
> 
> Prepare yourselves.

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

Laura finished typing up her report, occasionally stopping to peer over at Agent Karnstein who was looking over their new case from Belmonde. When Karnstein strolled over to the crime board and began to pin items up, Laura stood to follow her.

“So, what have we got?” Laura said, approaching her side.

Agent Karnstein who stood with her hands in her suit pants pockets contemplating the crime board, glanced sideways at her. Laura smiled, reminded of the moment they’d met.

“A young college couple, Jessica Miller and Freddie Philips,” she pointed at a photograph of the two, “Were abducted from their car by a man dressed as a police officer in Ohio.”

“Okay,” Laura nodded, folding her arms.

“One year ago exactly to this date a different couple were abducted by a man dressed as a police officer from a university _also_ in Ohio.” Karnstein pointed at a second photograph, “The couple were tortured and then murdered five days later. The culprit was never found and at the time it was believed to be a one-off attack. _Until today_ … So, assuming history is going to repeat itself, it would appear we have five days to find Miller and Philips.”

“Ohio then,” Laura nodded.

“There’s something else,” Agent Karnstein glanced at her and then pointed at a what appeared to be a police photograph of a young man, “This is an inmate known as Victor Boggs, he’s currently on death row in Irongate Prison in Ohio for murdering his entire family. Boggs is to be executed five days from now…”

“What does this guy have to do with the kidnappings?” Laura’s brow furrowed.

“He _claims_ to have information about the abduction and in return for that information, Boggs would like his death sentence commuted,” Karnstein turned to face her.

“Well that's not going to work, he’s obviously in cahoots with the kidnapper,” Laura half shrugged.

“So you’d think. Boggs doesn’t claim to have anything to do with the kidnappings at all, he claims… it’s a psychic ability,” Karnstein appeared to be holding back a smile.

Laura scoffed, rolling her eyes, _“Sure Jan.”_

Carmilla huffed a laugh, “Boggs was able to describe a unique bracelet that Jessica Miller owned and was most likely wearing the night of the abduction.”

“The kidnapper could have told him about the bracelet or it could have been a targeted attack, Boggs might know this woman. There could a number of reasons why he might know about the bracelet.” Laura shook her head, not even considering this man’s claim for one second.

 _“Exactly._ We’ve just gotta find out what.”

*

Irongate Maximum Security Prison, Ohio

Boggs had long scraggly thin hair, and large watery eyes. He was wearing an orange prison uniform and his wrists were cuffed together. He looked a lot older than the photo Laura had seen back at the office and he was a lot thinner, almost unrecognizable. He was sat in the center of the interrogation room, staring at his hands which were placed on the table in front of him when they entered.

“My name is Special Agent Karnstein with the FBI and this is my partner, Special Agent Hollis. I’m sure you know why we’re here, we’re investigating an abduction.” She studied him carefully. “An abduction, Mr Boggs, which you _claim_ to know a thing or two about.” Agent Karnstein leaned on the back of her chair, waiting for a response from the prisoner but none came.

She nodded and took her seat, dropping a file on the table, Laura followed.

“Can you tell me, Mr Boggs, how do you know about the kidnapping?” Karnstein asked, staring at the prisoner with a raised brow. 

“...I see things,” Boggs spoke very slowly, “I have... visions.” His voice was gruff as if he rarely spoke.

“Is that right?” Karnstein looked unimpressed as she regarded Boggs.

“What I want to know is, where are Freddie Philips and Jessica Miller?” Laura asked.

“I don’t know,” Boggs whispered, staring at his cuffed wrists.

“Where are the kidnapping victims being held?” Laura repeated.

“You claim to have this _psychic_ ability, you also claim to have information about this case, but you aren’t telling us anything,” Agent Karnstein said calmly. “Who abducted Jessica and Freddie?”

“I see things,” He whispered, he hadn't so much as glanced at either of them.

Karnstein sat back in her chair, rested her ankle on her knee and opened the file, very relaxed. “That’s interesting, Mr Boggs because I see things too,” Karnstein smiled, “Let me tell you what I’m seeing right now. This is a statement from yourself in which you have proposed a deal. In exchange for information about the abduction of Miller and Philips, you have requested that your execution, which is less than five days from now, be commuted.” She glanced up at Boggs who had barely moved a muscle since they’d entered the room. 

“So, you better start talking…”

Boggs lifted his head slowly and looked at Agent Karnstein but he didn’t say a word.

Karnstein closed the file and dropped it back onto the desk, “Maybe this will help…” 

She reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a plastic evidence bag and from within drew a piece of black fabric, she held it up and then threw it across the table toward Boggs.

Laura blinked, wondering where Agent Karnstein could have gotten her hands on this evidence, she certainly hadn’t mentioned anything to her.

He looked at them and then awkwardly picked up the fabric with this cuffed hands and clutched it, rubbing it between his fingers. He then slowly brought it to his nose to smell it.

Agent Karnstein raised an eyebrow as Boggs suddenly went completely rigid as if he were about to have a seizure but then released a slow breath, his body relaxing.

 _“He beat them, he’s beating them right now_ …” He spoke through gritted teeth with his eyes tight shut.

Agent Karnstein appeared unimpressed.

“Where are they?” 

_“There’s a… It’s a warehouse, blue… blue…”_ He shook his head, frowning, his eyes still closed.

“Really?” Agent Karnstein sat forward, narrowing her eyes at Boggs before quickly glancing across at Laura.

“What warehouse? Where?” Laura asked.

He opened his eyes suddenly, staring directly at Laura and whispered, “Beware, Agent Hollis,” he smiled “… of the _blue devil.”_

Laura frowned and glanced across at her partner.

Carmilla sighed and gripped the bridge of her nose.

“How are you involved in this?” she asked, irritated.

“I am not involved... but I see things.”

“Mr Boggs…” Karnstein stood up, reached across the table and pulled the black piece of fabric from within his grasp, “I ripped this from an old shirt of mine, it has absolutely nothing to do with this case. How are you involved?”

Laura couldn’t hold back a smile. _God that was… really hot._

His face dropped and he stared at Agent Karnstein for a moment before returning to his original position, staring at his cuffed wrists.

“Okay, Mr Boggs, thank you for your time,” Karnstein said, staring at him for a few more seconds before turning and heading for the exit.

They walked quickly down the corridor, “If he’s telling the truth and I believe he is, we can find them. They’re in a warehouse, something to do with _blue devils_ , if we head over to the field office, it shouldn’t take us long to pinpoint-”

“You know this is probably a bad idea, right?” Laura interrupted, coming to a stop. “We leave here, we find the warehouse matching the clues _he’s_ given us _…_ it’s a trap, it’s a set up.”

“Hollis, what choice do you we have? We have just over 4 days to find these kidnapped people and if he’s telling the truth, it’s _our_ responsibility to do whatever we can to save them.” Karnstein turned and kept on walking.

Laura watched her partner walking away, rubbed at the back of her neck for a moment and then sighed, walking after her. 

*

FBI Field Office, Ohio

Laura crossed her arms as she leant on the edge of a desk. She watched Agent Karnstein walk back and forth impatiently they waited. She came to a halt when an Agent Rogers walked back into the office. He was young and well built, wearing a shoulder holster.

“Looks like we may have found the place you’re looking for, there’s an old warehouse, about an hour’s drive from here, its nicknamed the blue devil. It’s been abandoned for several years. If the clues from Boggs were meant to lead you anywhere… it’s there,” he pointed to the papers in his hands.

“We’ll need a team of agents,” Karnstein said, taking the papers from his hands and staring down at them.

“Already on it.” 

*

Abandoned Warehouse, Ohio

“This has to be it,” Laura said, climbing out of the back of the van and staring up at the large blue devil graffitied on the side of the building.

Agents followed them out of the van as a second pulled up.

Karnstein pulled her vest over her head and fastened it before pulling on a jacket with FBI in large white letters printed on the back, same as what Laura and the rest of the team were wearing. She tapped her gun at her side habitually, as if checking it were still there before she began to speak.

“Our main duty is to find and rescue the two kidnap victims. Find them, make sure they’re safe, and _then_ we go after the suspect. We don’t know _who_ he is, we don’t know if he’s armed or if he’s working alone. Agent Rogers, do you have anything to add?” Karnstein looked toward him.

“Let’s split into two groups, the warehouse is large, we’ll sweep the building quickly. The chances are the suspect is armed and dangerous so be vigilant at all times.”

They walked along the empty parking lot and to the large doors of the warehouse which were unlocked. A sign that someone had indeed been here.

Laura pulled out her flashlight and upholstered her gun as they prepared to enter the building. 

It was dark but light shone in through the high windows above and it was eerily quiet, abandoned equipment stood tall covered in large sheets casting dark shadows on the ground. Agents took off quietly in all directions, Laura followed her partner. It was only a few moments later when they heard yelling.

 _“Down here!”_ Laura pointed her gun toward the voice, startling her momentarily as it echoed around the space.

They walked on through the darkness, flashlights lighting the way until they saw something ahead.

Agent Karnstein ran over to the victims dropping down beside them, they were bound and theirs mouths were gagged.

 _“They’re okay! Search the building!”_ She yelled.

Agents again, took off in all directions.

Karnstein reached over to remove the victim’s gags, “My name is Agent Karnstein, I’m with the FBI. You’re safe now, we need to get you to a hospital.” She spoke softly to the victims, “Are you okay? Do you know where your abductor went?”

As Laura walked up next to them, she lowered her weapon, she found herself staring at another large painted blue devil high up on the wall opposite, lit up from the rays of light streaming in through the windows above.

 _Beware… Agent Hollis… of the blue devil…_ She heard Boggs’ voice in her mind.

She blinked, her eyes landing on a figure walking out of the darkness ahead of them with a gun held out in front of him, pointed directly at Agent Karnstein.

 _“Carm!”_ Laura shouted. She moved in front of her partner and the victims quickly as shots rang out.

The next thing Laura was aware of was a hot penetrating pain in her upper thigh. She let out a shriek, her gun slipping from her grasp as she grabbed at her leg, falling sideways onto the ground.

_“Laura!”_

She could hear more shots ringing out around her and shouting that was too loud. Her hands were wet with what she could only imagine was her own blood.

 _“Fuck! Get after the guy!”_ Agent Karnstein was yelling. _“We have an agent down! We need an ambulance now!”_

Laura groaned when pain seized her again as hands pressed down hard on her thigh. 

_“Agent Hollis! Laura?! Laura, can you hear me?! You’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be, okay. I‘ve got you. I’ve got you…”_

*

Pine Valley General Hospital, Ohio

Carmilla ran through the hospital doors after her partner and watched as Agent Hollis was hurriedly whisked away from her, there was nothing she could do now. There she was stood in the hospital waiting room, watching her partner disappear.

She moved to run a hand through her hair and remembered they were coated in her partners dried blood. She moved as if on autopilot, found the nearest restroom, pulling off the bulletproof vest she was still wearing, catching sight of her distraught face in the mirror. She cleaned the blood off her hands watching the water turn red as it disappeared down the drain and willed her hands to stop shaking.

_Laura had been shot in the leg… she’d lost some blood but she would be okay. She had to be okay…_

She found herself back in the waiting room, she glanced around in a daze and dropped heavily onto a chair with a sigh, she wasn’t sure what her next move should be.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, she withdrew it.

“Karnstein,” she mumbled.

“Agent Karnstein, it’s Agent Rogers. Miller and Philips were taken to the same hospital as your partner. We should be able to get a positive ID on the suspect from them. We have some suspects in mind from the glimpse the agents got back at the warehouse, did you get a good look at the suspect?”

“Can’t say I did,” Carmilla swallowed, her throat felt thick. She couldn’t remember… it was all a blur, she just remembered her partners pale face and the blood…

“It’s just a simple case of the victims making a positive ID. I should be there in 10 minutes myself. Is your partner okay?”

“She um…” she cleared her throat, “I- I don’t know, Agent Rogers. I’ll um... I’ll find Philips and Miller and I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She hung up the phone.

She stood, steeling herself with a nod. Her eyes wandering over to the doors she’d seen her partner disappear through. She would be doing no good if she sat here and waited, it was better for her to keeping working. Laura would be okay…

*

Jessica Miller lay still in her hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling, expressionless. Her forearm was bandaged and she had a long cut running down her cheek.

When Carmilla walked into the room with Agent Rogers she glanced quickly at them as if she feared her abductor had come back for her.

“Good evening, Miss Miller, my name is Agent Karnstein-”

“Is she okay? The agent who got shot…” Jessica asked quietly.

“I hope so.” Carmilla said quietly, shoving her hands in her pants pockets. “I don't know anything yet.”

“We have some images here and we were hoping you may be able to identity your abductor from them. Is that okay, Miss Miller?” Agent Rogers asked, walking toward the bed.

She nodded.

Agent Rogers withdrew a tablet from his pocket and began to scroll through images as Jessica stared at each and shook her head.

_“Wait…_ that’s him,” she whispered. “That’s the guy.”

“Thank you, Miss Miller,” Rogers said, “Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

They left the room, Agent Rogers pulled out his phone, making a call. 

Agent Karnstein leaned on the wall and stared at the ground, every time she closed her eyes she saw her partners blood everywhere. 

“His name is Mr Henry Hume,” Rogers pulled her from her thoughts, he scrolled through his phone, “His record shows he’s been in and out of prison over the years but for petty crimes, burglaries and such. His fiancée was killed in a car accident four years ago, the anniversary of her death is four days from now.”

“So, that’s why he does it,” Carmilla nodded. “He kills these couples because he lost the love of _his_ life.” She ran a hand through her hair.

“Could be it. There’s something else. Boggs and him, they knew each other.”

“He is an accomplice, we thought as much.”

“We’ll find him,” Agent Rogers said, giving Carmilla a sympathetic glance. “He can’t hide from us.”

“Don’t worry about that, Agent, I think I know how to find him.”

*

Irongate Maximum Security Prison, Ohio

She walked into the interview room where Victor Boggs was already waiting for her. She didn’t sit, she pushed the chair aside and placed two hands on the table.

“Henry Hume. Friend of yours?” She asked, not willing to stand for any of Boggs’ crap right now.

“Why?” Boggs whispered.

He was talking which was a good sign, maybe he recognised that Carmilla wasn’t willing to play his games.

“Where is he? Where would he go?” Carmilla asked, glaring at the prisoner.

“If I tell you… will I get what I want?” He stared back.

Carmilla considered this for a moment. 

“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. She was lying of course, but she’d say anything to get this guy to talk right now. “Now, tell me where he is.”

He stared at her for a moment before he took a deep breath, “There’s a small lake house, up by muddy creek, that’s where you’ll find him.”

“Thank you, Mr Boggs.” That had been much easier than she had expected.

“I know that you were lying.”

“Maybe you are psychic after all,” Carmilla smiled. “Were you telling me the truth?”

He nodded.

Carmilla took a breath and took a step toward the exit. She believed him.

“Is she okay? Your partner?” Boggs asked quietly, she paused turning back to face him.

“How do you know about that?” She glared at him.

“I tried to warn her…” He smiled sadly. “To be aware of the blue devil but she didn’t listen to me, did she?”

Carmilla’s hands curled into fists and before she knew it she’d flipped the table away and grabbed Boggs by the front of his orange prison uniform.

 _“You listen to me, Boggs! If she dies because of him... four days from now nobody will stop me from being the one to end your goddamn life! Do you understand me, you son of a bitch!?”_ She shook with anger.

Hands grabbed around her arms and she was quickly pulled away from the prisoner.

“ _You hear me!? If anything happens to her, I’ll kill you myself!”_ She yelled as she was dragged from the room. 

_“Get off of me!”_ She said to the guards once she reached the corridor outside, pulling herself away.

She took some deep breathes, fixed the lapel on her jacket and stalked away toward the exit.

*

Pine Valley General Hospital, Ohio

She smiled when she walked around the corner and paused in the doorway of her partners room, she couldn’t help but smile. Laura was sleeping but she looked okay. Carmilla felt some tension leave her body.

“I don’t like seeing you in a hospital bed, Hollis,” Carmilla said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Who was it saying risks had to be taken?” Laura whispered, opening her eyes and turning to look at her with a small smile.

Carmilla smiled, she hadn’t expected her partner to be awake but was so relieved to hear her voice.

“Not you, _never you,”_ She grabbed one of her hands in both of hers.

“Maybe you’re finally coming around to my way of thinking,” She responded, her voice was hoarse.

Carmilla huffed a laugh, shaking her head, looking down at their joined hands.

“I’m going to be fine,” Laura whispered.

“That good to hear,” Carmilla met her gaze. “Does that mean I’m going to see you at work on Monday?” She smiled, sadly. 

“I doubt that but with any luck, I’ll be up and about in a few days… Could you do me one favor? Try not to get into any trouble while I’m incapacitated?”

“Can’t make any promises, Hollis.” Carmilla smirked as Laura rolled her eyes.

“They got him. The guy who shot you, his name was Henry Hume, they found him and picked him up this morning.”

They were quiet for a moment.

“Carm, do you think… do you think Boggs really was psychic?” Laura asked quietly.

She raised a brow, “The doctors must have you on some strong stuff, Hollis.”

“I’m serious. He warned me, he knew what was going to happen.”

Carmilla shook her head as she considered Laura's words.

"Though I guess... the whole ripped shirt thing was kind of damning," Laura said with a half shrug.

"Actually... maybe it wasn't so damning." Carmilla said, blinking with realisation.

"Why?"

"That wasn't an old shirt of mine... it was an old shirt of _yours,_ " Carmilla looked at her, appearing a little stunned.

_"Huh?"_

"Do you remember in Georgia when we were stuck on that rock and you wrapped your shirt around my leg? I still had it. I ripped that from _your_ shirt."

 _"Wow..._ Boggs was totally psychic..." Laura blinked.

"No..." She shook her head, choosing not to believe such nonsense. "He was a big old phoney. He got lucky. Hell, he probably jinxed you, Hollis. That’s all.”

She studied her partner closely, stroking her thumb over the back of her hand, she sighed.

“You know… I don’t know what I’d have done if-” She began, pausing when her phone began to ring.

“It’s Belmonde.” She stood from the bed as she answered the call.

“Karnstein.”

_“Good morning, Agent Karnstein, how is Agent Hollis?”_

“She’s going to be fine. It was a close one but she’s okay. Should be back in D.C in a few days,” Carmilla responded.

 _“Good. I want to see you in my office tomorrow morning at 9am.”_ Belmonde ordered, her tone becoming stern.

Carmilla frowned, “Tomorrow? I can’t. Lau-” 

_“9am tomorrow morning, Agent Karnstein,”_ Belmonde said impatiently. _“I don’t care if you have to leave your partner there in Ohio, you’ll be in my office by 9am.”_

“But-” 

The line went dead.

Carmilla glared at her phone.

_Shit…_

“Belmonde isn’t happy,” She pocketed her phone, acting as composed as she could in front of her partner, though the phone call had left her worried. “She wants to see me tomorrow morning.”

_“Carm…What did you do?”_


	11. The Suspension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One or two lines from X- Files Fight the Future in here but that's about it.
> 
> A SURPRISE CHAPTER?! YES PLEASE!

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

“Assistant Director Belmonde is waiting for you,” Said Belmonde’s assistant, Amy, as Carmilla rushed into the office at 9.05am.

 _This had better be really goddamn important,_ Carmilla thought as she knocked and entered quickly without waiting for a response. Belmonde was seated at her desk, an older female agent that Carmilla did not recognize was leaning on the desk with her arms folded.

“Good morning, Agent Karnstein. Please take a seat.” Belmonde gestured to the chair in front of the desk politely.

Carmilla didn’t say a word, she nodded at Belmonde, eyed the agent she didn’t know suspiciously and then took her seat.

“Agent Karnstein, how are you this morning?” Belmonde asked, removing a pair of reading glasses with a smile.

“I’m well, thank you,” Carmilla responded shortly, wishing Belmonde would just drop the pleasantries and get on with it.

“And Agent Hollis?”

“I wouldn’t know, I left Ohio last night be here this morning. Can I ask what this meeting is about?” Carmilla stared hard at Belmonde.

“Very well. I received a report from Irongate max security prison in Ohio yesterday informing me that you attacked a prisoner, Mr Victor Boggs. Is that information correct?” Belmonde entwined her fingers together on the desk.

 _“Attacked a prisoner?_ _No,_ I… _manhandled_ him, I didn’t hurt him,” Carmilla frowned, shaking her head.

“Can you tell me why you saw fit to attack a prisoner in federal custody?” Belmonde asked, calmly.

Carmilla sucked in a breath, “My partner had been shot… he hinted that he may have orchestrated it.”

“And did that give you the right to attack the prisoner?” Belmonde asked.

“No ma’am but I wouldn’t say I _attacked_ Boggs.”

“I’ve seen the footage and it looked like an attack to me.” Belmonde replied.

Carmilla shook her head, releasing a breath.

“Agent Karnstein, Agent Hollis was assigned as your partner six months and ten days ago. Can you tell me why Agent Hollis was assigned to you?”

“I believe it was to _reign me in,”_ Carmilla responded in an irritated tone.

“And do you believe Agent Hollis has succeeded?”

“I do,” Carmilla responded quietly after a moment.

“Really _?_ How so?” Belmonde asked with intrigue, raising her brows.

Carmilla considered that question for a moment, she stared at the desk in front of her, “I feel I’m a better agent when I’m working with Agent Hollis.”

Belmonde regarded her a few seconds, slid her glasses back onto her nose and then started to look through some papers on her desk. “You’re a loose cannon, Agent Karnstein.”

She narrowed her eyes at Belmonde.

“Okay… The Purewal case, the reports state that you breached protocol that day in Virginia when you apprehended Robert Purewal, I’m sure you remember the case well, is that information correct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Carmilla responded quietly.

She glanced down at her paperwork again, “The Wayne Doggett case, you disobeyed orders, you didn’t wait for back up, is that correct?”

Carmilla swallowed, a feeling of dread starting to overwhelm her.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Agent Hollis disobeyed my direct orders five days ago on the Braidwood case in favor of helping you. But Agent Hollis often states in her reports that she doesn’t agree with your methods.” Belmonde said, glancing up at her from her papers. 

“Along with everybody else, but I get the job done. You can’t deny that,” Carmilla replied, wondering where this was going.

“No, I can’t,” Belmonde shook her head. _“This_ is Special Agent Maggie Hope from the Office of Professional Responsibility. _I_ cannot deny that you are an exceptional agent _and_ one we would sorely miss should it come to that.”

Carmilla stared between the two of them, keeping her mouth shut. _Were they… firing her?_

“At this juncture, myself and Agent Hope have agreed upon a fourteen-day suspension without pay. This is something that should have occurred much sooner and you know that yourself, Agent. It is also probably less than you deserve. Agent Hollis will meet with me upon her return to D.C.”

 _“Why?”_ Carmilla sat up in her chair, Laura had nothing to do with this.

“For possible reassignment.”

 _“What?”_ Carmilla glared, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. _Reassignment?_ _They couldn’t…_

“You heard me. I will meet with Agent Hollis because quite frankly, Agent, it seems I have seen very little improvement in your conduct over the last six months and if I decide she has failed to do what she was assigned, if I do _make_ that choice… she will be reassigned and you will be assigned a _new_ partner,” Belmonde said coolly. “And if you continue to drive me to my wits end, a fourteen-day suspension will be the very least of your problems.”

“You’re already suspending me, don’t punish me further by reassigning my partner,” she stared at Belmonde.

Belmonde smiled, “You know, I never thought I’d hear Agent Karnstein _begging_ me to let her _keep_ a partner.”

Carmilla released a breath but didn’t respond, she was seething with anger and she dare not say another word. _A suspension she could take, hell, she probably deserved it but the thought of working without Laura by her side was unthinkable._

“I’ll see you fourteen days, Agent Karnstein,” Belmonde smiled professionally.

Carmilla stood, she wanted to rage, kick up a fuss, but she knew that would make things much worse. She swallowed her pride, nodded at A.D Belmonde and walked quickly and quietly out of the room.

*

Carmilla’s apartment, Georgetown, Washington D.C

Carmilla entered her small apartment, the light flickered as she switched it on. She took off her jacket entering her living room, it was a little unkempt, she had paperwork piled on her desk at the window, the window shade was broken and wouldn’t open. A small table was littered with of old mugs of coffee and there was a pile of plates and other items to be washed in her kitchen.

Now in the privacy of her own space, she allowed her feelings to fill her up, she thought of her partner lying in a hospital bed in Ohio all alone, suspended from a job that was pretty much her entire life and to top it all, possible reassignment for Laura…

She kicked the table in a moment of anger, half a mug of cold coffee spilled over the tabletop.

 _“Goddammit!”_ she mumbled, pulling at her hair anxiously. She willed herself not to cry, crying wouldn’t help. She leant on the wall nearby, trying to take a few calming breathes. And after a moment, she wriggled her phone free from her pocket.

_Should she call Laura? Should she tell her? Warn her?_

She almost dropped the phone when the screen lit up in her hand as a call came through.

_Hollis_

“Karnstein,” she answered, the same way she always did, giving nothing away.

 _“Hi, it’s me. I have good news, I’ll be back tomorrow,”_ Laura sounded cheerful and positive.

Carmilla ran a hand through her hair and then rubbed at her eyes, “That’s… That’s great news, Hollis.”

 _“Really? Because you sound… broody.”_

Carmilla smiled, she couldn’t help it. She sucked in a deep breath, “Rough day.”

 _“Rough day? It’s 10.15 in the morning. What’s wrong, Carm?”_ Laura asked, she could hear the concern in her voice.

“I met with Belmonde… I’ve been suspended,” she said, quietly.

There was a moment of silence.

_“What?”_

“For 14 days.”

 _“Why?_ I don’t understand,” Laura said, she sounded panicky.

“Back in Ohio, after you were shot, I went back to visit Boggs and… I got a little angry,” Carmilla said with a sigh. 

_“What did you do?”_ she could hear Laura’s disappointment and it filled her with guilt.

“I kinda flipped the table and grabbed the front of his shirt. I yelled at him but I didn’t hurt him. Belmonde is saying I attacked Boggs.”

Laura was quiet, she heard a small sigh.

“It's only fourteen days,” Carmilla mumbled.

“ _Great,”_ she sounded pissed. _“I’ve got a voicemail from Belmonde, she wants me to come in for a meeting when I get back so that should be fun.”_

This would be the moment to tell her, the moment to say, _Hey, just so you know, not only have I been suspended but it’s very likely that you are about to be reassigned!_ But she couldn’t speak those words out loud because if she did, it might become real and right now, Carmilla couldn’t quite fathom that possibility. 

“Are you okay?” She asked instead.

“I’ve been walking around a little today, it’s painful but the doctors are really impressed with my progress. I just want to get back to you in D.C and then I’ll be okay.”

Carmilla rubbed her temple as she possessed her partners words, “…I’ll be right here waiting.” 

*

There was banging on Carmilla’s apartment door, she opened her eyes blearily. It had been two days since her meeting with Belmonde, since her suspension had started and she wasn’t taking it well. Carmilla didn’t know what to do with herself if she wasn’t heading to work or writing a report or working on a case.

The banging continued and she groaned, stumbling out of bed, catching a glimpse of the time on her alarm clock, 11.23am. She struggled to sleep at night and when she did, she had dreams of walking into the office to find her partners desk cleared out. Sometimes the dreams were worse and she’d find herself back in the hospital restroom in Ohio cleaning Laura’s blood off her hands except this time, it wouldn’t wash off.

“I’m coming! Just hang on a sec,” she yelled, grabbing for the door, “Do you really have to be so impat… _Hollis.”_

Carmilla forget all about her frustrations and the rude awakening when Laura was suddenly stood in front of her. It had only been three days but Carmilla felt as though she hadn’t seen her partner in months. She looked well considering everything she’d been through, though she had a crutch under her arm. She was obviously unhappy; her brow was furrowed and her lips were a thin line as she frowned. In any other situation, this would have been something that Carmilla would have found amusing… but she knew what was coming.

“So… I had my meeting with Belmonde,” Laura nodded slowly as if she were still processing it all.

 _The time had come, this was it. Laura was about to tell her that she’d been reassigned to some field office two thousand miles away and they were never going to see each other again. She wasn’t prepared enough for this… she wasn’t prepared_ at all _for this._

“Come in,” she said quietly, moving away from the door.

Laura began to limp into the apartment slowly, leaning on her crutch heavily for support.

“I’m _so sorry_ ,” Carmilla blinked, “I should have been there for you. You shouldn’t have had to come all the way up here to see me, you’re injured and this is all my fault...”

She was struggling to keep her composure, she tugged at her hair and turned away.

“You haven’t been answering your phone,” Laura said, glancing around the apartment with mild interest.

“Um… I- I don’t even know where it is,” Carmilla responded, looking around her living room for a moment before deciding it didn’t matter now. The only person she cared about was right here.

“What did she decide?” Carmilla turned to face her.

Laura sighed, chewing her lower lip, “Belmonde hasn’t made a decision yet… some forewarning would have been nice though. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Carmilla swallowed, “Because, if I didn’t tell you… then maybe it wouldn’t happen.”

Laura nodded, glancing down at the ground near their feet.

“Do you think you're being reassigned?”

“Belmonde is yet to make a decision on that matter, though I expressed my desire to stay with you. She may give us a chance but…” Laura shrugged, “I’ll be honest with you, Karnstein, I don’t think she will.”

Carmilla released a breath and gripped the bridge of her nose.

“You know what though… maybe she should,” Laura whispered.

 _“What?”_ Carmilla glanced at her with a frown.

“Listening to Belmonde in that meeting today… I realized something. You don’t need me, Karnstein, you never have. You just put up with me because you didn’t have any other choice.” Laura shook her head.

“Hollis, don’t ever _think-”_

“Actually, I gotta go, I really can’t be here,” Laura interrupted, she appeared to be on the verge of tears and Carmilla felt that same sting. She turned toward the door, hobbling out into the hall as quickly as she could.

Carmilla stared at the open doorway for a few seconds before shaking her head and walking after her.

“You know that’s not true, you’re the only partner I’ve ever had who’s made a difference,” Carmilla said, following her out into the hall.

Laura paused and turned to look at her, _“How?_ Why was I assigned to you? To reign you in? What difference have _I_ made? For _gods sakes,_ Karnstein, look at you, you’ve been _suspended_.”

“But you’ve _saved me,_ Hollis, you made me better,” she walked toward her. “It’s like… You made me a whole person. You’re my partner, I don’t wanna do this without you anymore,” Carmilla said sincerely, the words seemed to flow off her tongue without her thinking them up but they were true.

There were tears in Laura’s eyes and Carmilla willed herself not to cry, she sucked in some deep breathes as they stared at each other.

Laura shook her head and moved closer, slowly wrapping her arm around Carmilla’s waist in a hug, resting her head on her shoulder.

Carmilla relaxed into her embrace, bringing her arms up around Laura’s shoulders and rubbed a hand at the back of her neck. They stood like that for a few long moments until Laura sighed in what may have been acceptance and slowly pulled away. 

She looked so sad as their eyes met, she studied Carmilla’s face for a moment before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on Carmilla’s brow. _God, why did this feel like goodbye?_

Carmilla let her head fall, her eyes falling closed. _This was it, wasn’t it?_ She felt Laura’s brow gently rest upon hers, possibly savoring these last few moments before she walked away forever.

Carmilla opened her eyes, they slowly focused on her partners face so close to hers, she watched a tear slip down her cheek. She brought her hands up to Laura’s face, just to look at Agent Hollis one last time. Her thumb gently wiping away the stray tear as she opened her eyes and they stared at each other.

The corner of Laura’s lips turned up as if she were happy right here in this moment and then her smile fell and her eyes flickered to Carmilla’s lips. Carmilla couldn’t help but glance down as Laura’s tongue brushed her lower lip.

And they both moved slowly… so slowly as they stared at each other, each waiting for a sign from the other that they shouldn’t do this but neither offered one.

When they were barely an inch apart, Carmilla glanced down at Laura’s lips and leaned in that final stretch. She felt immense relief as their lips touched, like all of her stress over this situation was suddenly fading away to nothing.

It was slow and calculated at first but soon Laura kissed her back with vigour, bringing her hand up into Carmilla’s hair.

She recognized what may have been the sound of Laura’s crutch hitting the wall and sliding to the floor but that wasn’t important right now. The only sound that was important was the small whine Laura had just made and Carmilla couldn’t help but kiss her harder.

She gripped the back of Laura’s thighs as if to pick her up, but Laura stopped abruptly, pulling away from the kiss, sucking in a deep breath.

“My leg,” she gasped, shaking her head before leaning in to kiss her again.

_Of course… her leg. They needed to be careful._

So instead, Carmilla started walking backwards slowly toward her apartment door, wrapping her arms around her partner and holding her close as they kissed.

“My stick,” Laura whispered against her mouth.

And Carmilla frowned for a second before remembering her crutch still lying in the hall.

She smiled at Laura before running down the hall to grab it, then pulled her partner into the apartment and closed the door. 

She grasped the sides of Laura’s face as they kissed again, stumbling through her apartment.

“Wait a sec,” Carmilla whispered breathlessly as Laura’s hands began to sneak under her t-shirt. “You’re injured. Is this a good idea?”

“This the best idea,” Laura sighed, shrugging off her jacket.

Laura’s fingers tickled Carmilla’s stomach again, pushing the shirt higher and higher until she just gave in and grabbed the shirt, pulling it over Carmilla’s head.

They staggered into the bedroom as Carmilla unbuttoned Laura’s shirt, kissing down the expanse of her neck to her collarbones.

Laura sighed, slipping her shirt off her shoulders and then pulling away.

Carmilla blinked and watched as Laura turned them and sat down gently on the edge of the bed.

“Could you help me with my shoe?” Laura asked quietly, chewing her lower lip.

Carmilla leaned forward with a smile, kissing her again quickly before kneeling and carefully pulling off Laura’s sneakers. Laura then positioned herself in the middle of the bed, moving her injured leg slowly.

Carmilla followed, climbing onto the bed to hover over her. She glanced down at Laura’s leg with a look of worry.

“My leg will be fine,” Laura whispered, placing her hands on Carmilla’s neck and pulling for down to her lips.

This felt so right, _nothing_ had ever felt _this_ right to Carmilla. There had always been something holding them back… they were partners and Carmilla couldn’t stand the thought of ruining things between them so she kept her distance the best she could. But now that invisible barrier that kept them apart seemed to have disintegrated. If Laura wasn’t going to be her partner for very much longer than there was nothing standing in their way.

Carmilla unfastened Laura’s pants and then carefully pulled them down her legs, laying kisses around the patch of bandage covering the side of her thigh. 

“And you said _I_ was getting hurt too much,” she said, slowly moving back up to look at her partner.

Laura smiled, “Took one for the team this time.” She gently ran her hands through Carmilla’s hair.

“Please don’t take anymore,” Carmilla replied, kissing her partner before she could respond.

She lay a trail of gentle kisses from her neck down to her chest, removing Laura’s bra. She sucked in a breath and squeaked when Carmilla took a nipple into her mouth.

 _“Carm…”_ she moaned, her hands clutching her hair. Carmilla groaned at the feeling, rolling her hips against Laura’s good thigh, still conscious of her injury.

Laura reached down and attempted to push down Carmilla’s sweatpants as they kissed again. Carmilla indelicately kicked them off.

She slowly explored her partners body, this was certainly something she never expected she’d ever get the opportunity to do. Her fingers tickled along the band of Laura’s underwear, breaking the kiss to look at her. They gazed at each other as Laura reached to remove her own underwear. Carmilla took over, planting more kisses on her injured leg again, except this time she lingered, kissing up to her hipbone and paying special attention to that as Laura shifted around impatiently.

When curious fingers found her center, Laura moaned, her hips rising at an angle as her injured thigh stayed close to the bed.

Carmilla pressed her hips down, she didn’t want her partner to be in any pain. She kissed her thigh slowly again.

“Does it hurt?” she asked quietly, resting her chin on her leg.

“No,” Laura breathed, shaking her head quickly as Carmilla slowly continued to run her fingers through her folds almost teasingly. She wondered if she just saying that so she’d continue.

She watched Laura’s face, captivated, as she frowned with concentration. _God, Laura was the most beautiful person she’d ever seen, how she didn’t just fall for this girl at first sight she’d never know._

She found her clit, rubbing circles against it, Laura moaned, rotating her hips. Carmilla smiled. She had to stop herself from staring at her partner on a regular basis but this was impossible to look away from.

She moved then, kissing her hip bone one more time before her tongue replaced her fingers and she sucked Laura’s clit between her lips.

Laura gave another loud moan, followed by a _“God, Carm,”_ as a finger slipped inside.

Carmilla smiled as she worked, finding a spot with her tongue that her partner seemed to quite enjoy and paid attention to that.

Laura’s head was thrown back, Carmilla tried savor this perfect moment... 

Her hips started to become restless and her little moans became more frequent and she grasped at Carmilla’s hair desperately.

 _“Carm!”_ She moaned her partners name, sucking in some quick breaths and rocking her hips against Carmilla’s face as she came.

Carmilla smiled, she hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. She stroked Laura’s leg carefully, if her leg wasn’t hurting her now, no doubt it would be soon.

She moved back up her body leisurely, she smiled before they kissed again. She felt Laura’s hand slipping down her body and she lightly grasped her wrist.

Resting her brow against Laura’s, she whispered, “We don’t have to. You’re hurt, you should really be resting.”

Laura frowned at her, lifting her chin to leave a kiss on her partners chin and slowly traveled along her jaw to her ear as Carmilla bit down on her lip.

“I’m fine,” she whispered.

Carmilla shivered, squeezing her eyes closed. She wanted to so badly.

“I know but I can wait until you’re feeling better,” she forced herself to say.

“I’m okay, Carm. I may be injured but there is still some stuff I can do. I want to,” Laura kissed her again and Carmilla whined as her hand slipped between her legs.

She pulled away from the kiss with a breathy moan, their foreheads touching.

“See? I’m fine,” Laura smiled.

Carmilla kissed her again, rocking her hips forward as Laura fingers brushed against her.

She tried to be careful of her partners injury, positioning her body away from it as much as she could.

“Will you _stop_ worrying about my leg and just enjoy yourself, Karnstein,” Laura giggled.

“Hollis, you have no idea how much I’m enjoying myself,” she said quietly, biting down on her lower lip. She was enjoying herself so much in fact that she knew she would not last very long at all.

She shifted her hips forward against Laura’s hand as she slipped two fingers inside, groaning her partners name. 

She couldn’t hold back, it was only seconds later that she moaned into Laura’s neck, shivering as pleasure overwhelmed her.

She nuzzled into Laura’s neck, dropping kisses here and there. She slowly fell to the side, reaching down for the duvet to cover them both and then pulling her partner close.

She felt so content, Carmilla was so happy as she held Laura. Even though she was suspended from work and she’d spent the last two days feeling like her world was falling apart, she didn’t feel lost anymore… she was truly happy in this moment.

“Carm…” Laura whispered, trailing her fingers up and down Carmilla’s side.

“Hmm…” She kissed her partners jaw and her neck.

“I was thinking… you still have 12 days suspension left and _I_ also have two weeks off to recuperate from my injury…”

“So what you’re saying is… if we so wanted to, we could spend the next two weeks right here in this bed?” Carmilla whispered into her ear.

Laura bit her lip as she smiled, “Something like that,” she whispered, turning to capture her partners lips again. 

*

Day 3 of Carmilla’s suspension – Carmilla’s apartment, Georgetown, Washington D.C

Laura blinked her eyes open, smiling as she recalled the events of the previous night. She stretched her tired limbs, turning over to face her partner. She pouted, the other side of the bed was empty.

“Carm?” she called, leaning across the bed to peak through the bedroom doorway into the living room.

Carmilla appeared with a smile, her hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head, she held up a glass.

“I just went to get a glass of water, I felt seriously dehydrated,” she came over, sitting on the edge of the bed, pushed a strand of Laura’s hair away from her face and placed a quick kiss on her brow. “You want some?” she offered Laura the glass.

She nodded, sitting up and quickly downing the entire glass, satisfied, she handed the glass back. “Thank you.”

Carmilla blinked, “Okay, looks like I need more water.”

Laura giggled as her partner hopped up from the bed and left the room.

She lay down again, leaning on her elbow.

She felt an odd mix of emotions, on one hand she was so happy, being with Carmilla like this felt so right. And yet, on the other hand, like a storm approaching, she couldn’t get the thought out of her mind that in less than two weeks, it was likely that she was going to be reassigned and Carmilla would leave her life forever.

Laura couldn’t imagine working with a different partner, the idea felt wrong. She frowned at she stared at the bed sheets.

“I might regret this but _what’s wrong?”_ Carmilla asked, leaning on the door frame and sipping her water.

She glanced up at her partner, she didn’t know how long she’d been there.

“What are we going to do?”

“Well, I was thinking I’d make breakfast but there’s not really a lot here, unless you’re interested in a carton of orange juice that’s a month expired.”

Laura shook her head, “I meant, what are we going to do if I get reassigned?”

“I know what you meant…” Carmilla said, walking back over and sitting down with a sigh. “And I don’t know…”

“How about if I tell Belmonde that if she reassigns me, I’ll quit…” Laura said hopefully.

Carmilla shook her head, “Belmonde won’t care, if anything that’ll probably make her life easier.”

“But, Carm… this is _so_ messed up,” Laura groaned, dropping her face down onto the pillow.

“I know and I’m sorry… I caused all this and you haven’t done anything wrong.” Carmilla reached out and grabbed her hand. 

“Maybe she’ll let me stay?” Laura pouted. 

Carmilla chewed her lower lip, and glanced up at her uncertain.

Laura frowned and rubbed at her eyes.

“How about this…” Carmilla said, placing down her glass. “There’s nothing you or I can do at this point, so, can we just spend the next two weeks enjoying ourselves and not worry about work or Belmonde or reassignments… we can face all that when the time comes but for now… can we just _be happy?”_

Laura’s frown slowly twitched up into a playful smile. She stared at her partner as she sat up slowly, carefully manoeuvring herself so she straddled Carmilla’s lap, ignoring the sting of pain from her leg.

Carmilla smiled, her hands landed on Laura’s hips.

“…I think I can manage that,” she said, leaning in for a kiss. 

*

Day 4 of Carmilla’s suspension - Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

There was a knock at her door and Laura smiled so widely it almost hurt. She’d only left her partners apartment a matter of hours ago after spending most of the day before in Carmilla’s bed.

She hobbled over to the door, opening it as quickly as she could.

“I brought Chinese- _hmmm…_ ” Laura grabbed the front of her partners sweater and crushed their lips together. Pulling her into the apartment and closing the door by pushing her up against it.

Carmilla moaned against her mouth, dropping the food and grabbing hold of Laura’s waist, “Hollis, the food will get cold…” 

“I don’t care,” Laura said, kissing her again, “Help me to the bedroom.”

*

Day 5 of Carmilla’s suspension - Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

Laura lay on top of her partner on the couch, head rested on her chest as they half watched a movie, half enjoyed each other’s company.

“Carm, tell me about your tattoo…” Laura asked quietly.

Carmilla smiled but sighed as if she really didn’t want to talk about it.

Laura reached down brushed her thumb over her partners hip bone under her shirt.

“Um… First year of college, young love, stupid decisions.” Carmilla said, staring happily at her.

“Elle?”

Carmilla nodded and then glanced across at the tv screen.

“I can’t believe you don’t own a tv,” Laura said quietly, “Who _doesn’t_ own a tv?”

“Me. You were in my apartment; did you see one?” Carmilla ran her hands through Laura’s hair as she stared at the screen.

“But, what if I wanna watch tv at your place?” Laura looked up at her with a small pout.

“Oh, I can think of much better things we could be doing,” Carmilla smiled, pulling Laura down for a kiss.

“When you put _that_ way…”

*

Day 6 of Carmilla’s suspension – Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

“Hi, Carm,” Laura smiled though her leg was hurting her, she turned quickly away from the door, back to couch to stay off her leg as much as possible.

She eyed her partner up and down, Carmilla was wearing ridiculously tight jeans and a leather jacket and Laura could stare at her all day and never get bored.

“How’s the therapy going?” Carmilla asked, walking over and kneeling next to the couch. She leaned in to kiss her quickly and placed a hand on her thigh.

“It hurts,” Laura shrugged unhappily, “And I’ve been trying to go easy on the pain meds and the therapy doesn’t feel like it’s helping at all and I always feel worse after. It’s really not been a good day, Carm.” 

Carmilla frowned, reaching to push a strand of Laura’s hair behind her ear, “What can I do to make it better, Cupcake?”

Laura bit her lip and leaned closer. Carmilla leaned the rest of the way, their noses brushed together.

“Can you get the cookies from the kitchen? And could you make me some cocoa while you’re there? Also, I lost the remote somewhere under the couch and my phone died so could you grab the cable from my bedroom?”

Carmilla blinked, pulling back to look at her partner as she reeled off her list of requests.

“Anything else?” she raised an eyebrow, smiling.

“Yes, when you’ve done all that, could you come back here and lay down with me?”

“Of course,” Carmilla said, leaning over to drop a kiss on her partners brow before standing and heading off into the kitchen.

*

Day 8 of Carmilla’s suspension – Carmilla’s apartment, Georgetown, Washington D.C

Carmilla was finally doing it… things would only get worse if she didn’t just tackle the problem head on and it certainly wasn’t going to resolve itself.

She took a deep breath and prepared herself as she stared at the huge pile of dishes that desperately needed to be cleaned. She’d already cleaned the rest of the apartment, she’d left the dishes until last.

She was just reaching for the first plate when a knock sounded at her door… 

_“Hollis,”_ Carmilla smiled as she opened the door and her partner was revealed, she stood aside to allow her in.

“What do I owe the pleasure?” She smiled, pulling Laura in for a kiss. “I was going to come by later.”

“I missed you and I feel like I’m going crazy in that apartment on my own,” Laura said, twirling a piece of Carmilla’s hair with her finger.

“You should have called me, I would have come to _you._ You are meant to be resting, Cupcake.”

Laura pouted, glancing up Carmilla through her lashes and in that moment Carmilla would have done absolutely anything this girl asked. Nobody had ever managed to look so cute and so sexy at the same time. Her grip tightened on Laura’s waist.

Laura leaned in and kissed her again and Carmilla sighed, running her hands through Laura’s hair.

“That’s not going to lead to resting,” Carmilla murmured against her lips after a moment.

“I was really hoping it wouldn’t…”

*

Day 9 of Carmilla’s suspension – Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

Laura was distracted when she opened the door, she’d just got off the phone with her dad and he trying to convince her to just give it all up and hand in her resignation. She wouldn’t of course but her dad was quietly persistent and it was grating.

“Hey,” she said, stepping back from the door and allowing her partner in.

“You… _wait,_ have you been to work?”

Carmilla was wearing one of her suits, navy with pinstripes, one of Laura’s favorites. She watched her partner smile as she slipped her hands into her pants pockets as she always did.

“No, I just kinda… missed my suits,” Carmilla shrugged.

Laura licked her lower lip and looked her partner up and down, “You know, I kinda missed them too…”

Seeing her partner back in her work clothes, it was a reminder of what they were and who they really were and that the world outside of their two apartments still existed. And that the Carmilla she’d been spending so much time with over the past week was the same Carmilla she’d worked with for the past six months.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to go to dinner with me,” Carmilla asked, she had the audacity to look nervous about that question.

Laura moved closer, she nodded, “Sure,” she wrapped her arms around Carmilla’s neck and kissed her hard.

Though the kiss had been unexpected, Carmilla kissed her back with the same vigour and Laura smiled against her mouth as she ran her hands under her partners jacket.

It was only when Laura began to slip Carmilla’s jacket off her shoulders that she pulled away. “That’s not dinner, Cutie.”

“Later,” Laura shushed her.

*

Day 11 of Carmilla’s suspension – Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

The alarm screeched loudly and Carmilla groaned, turning away from partners embrace and covered her head with a pillow.

Laura leaned over and switched off the alarm, she hadn’t been to work for almost two weeks but she hadn’t turned off her phones alarm, it still dinged in the morning as if to wake her up for work.

When the room fell silent, she turned over and lay a kiss on Carmilla’s shoulder, only to fall back down onto her back and groan in pain as her leg ached.

“You okay?” Carmilla peaked her head out from under her pillow.

“It just hurts, it always hurts more in the morning,” Laura squeezed her eyes shut against the pain. 

“Can I help? Do you need anything?" 

“Pain meds,” Laura said quietly.

Carmilla got out of bed, pulled on some sweats and a shirt of Laura’s from the chair nearby and headed out of the room.

She returned with a glass of water, pain meds and a cookie.

Laura smiled, “Thanks Carm,” she took her meds as Carmilla climbed back into bed beside her.

“Anything else I can help with?” she asked.

“There is something else that sometimes help with the pain…” Laura mumbled.

“Really? And what might that be?”

Laura smiled playfully and leaned over to kiss her partner.

*

Day 13 of Carmilla’s suspension – Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

Laura sipped her wine, bopping her head along with her music, she had her eyes closed as she lost herself in the song.

Carmilla smiled as she watched her. “Maybe you shouldn’t drink anymore wine, Cupcake. Have you taken pain meds today?”

“Only early this morning so I should be totally fine. Can you get the other bottle? It’s in the kitchen.” Laura slurred and Carmilla rolled her eyes.

Carmilla skipped onto the next song and looked at her partner for a moment and then got to her feet.

She held out her hand for Laura to stand as well, Laura raised a brow warily but took her partners hand anyway.

“What?” Laura whispered as she made it to her feet.

Carmilla wrapped an arm around her waist and then pulled them flush together and Laura drew in a sharp breath.

“What are you doing?” Laura asked, quietly.

Carmilla smiled and then began to move.

It took a second for Laura to realize that they were dancing. She smiled at her partner and couldn’t stop herself from blushing. And they danced slowly and not particularly very well but it was perfect and Laura felt as though she could cry if she allowed herself.

_All I want in life's a little bit of love_

_To take the pain away_

_Getting strong today_

_A giant step each day_

Carmilla closed her eyes and let her brow rest against Laura’s.

“This is nice,” Laura whispered.

_Wish men say only fools rush in, only fools rush in_

_But I, I can’t help_

_I can’t help, I can’t help falling_

_Falling in love with you_

Laura lifted her chin and brought their lips together. They kissed slowly as they slowly rocked from side to side.

_I will love you till I die_

_And I will love you all the time_

_So please put your sweet hand in mine_

_And float in space and drift in time_

_We'll floating in spaces just you and I_

Their gazes met again, Laura swallowed and in that moment she knew exactly what Carmilla was thinking because she was thinking the exact same thing…

One more day. 

*

Day 14 of Carmilla’s suspension – Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

Laura limped into her kitchen with her empty mug, she’d started to use her crutch less and less and she didn’t use it around the apartment anymore, she felt she was starting to get around a lot easier.

She reached for the counter, her mug slipping from her grasp and smashing on the kitchen floor. She yelped, hopping on her good leg trying to avoid the smashed porcelain. She’d been jumpy all day, trying to stay calm but panic was raging below the surface waiting to surge from her when she couldn’t take it anymore.

_“Crap! Crap!”_

If that wasn’t some forewarning that things weren’t going to go well tomorrow then Laura didn’t know what was.

Carmilla strode out of the bedroom and darted over to her, “What happened?”

“I just dropped my mug that’s all,” Laura shook her head.

Carmilla started picking up some of the larger chunks and placing them on the counter.

“I’ll do it,” She stopped Laura from kneeling on the floor beside her, “You might not be able to get back up.” Carmilla smiled.

“Here,” She said, picking Laura up around her middle and sitting her on the counter top.

“Thanks, Carm,” Laura whispered, she was going to cry…

 _“God… what am I going to do?!”_ She started to sob all of a sudden and Carmilla looked up at her in alarm.

_“Laura. Laura,_ look at me. Look at me,” She gently raised Laura’s chin with her finger. “Whatever happens tomorrow, whatever she says, Hollis…” she rested their foreheads together, “You’ll always be my partner.”

Laura smiled and continued to cry, “That’s great, Carm, r- really romantic and all but - but _really,_ what will _I do_?”

Carmilla chewed on her lower lip and looked forlorn… she didn’t say anything.

“I can try and make a deal or something, right? … They can’t transfer me if I don’t want to go-”

“Hollis-”

 _“What?”_ Laura snapped at her.

Carmilla sighed, “I think…” she shook her head, “I think you should do what you have to do. Your career is important.”

“So… so, I should be grin and b- bare it and be transferred to Utah or- or somewhere and start a new life in a new sector with a new partner?” Laura cried.

Carmilla looked like she was about to cry, she swallowed heavily, “I’ll fight for you, Laura. I- I won’t let her take you from me easily, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used is a nice little song called, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are floating in space by Spiritualized. Didn't know what song to use, took me day to settle on this one.


	12. The Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late to post or very early to post... 
> 
> X Files - Oubliette (S3)

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

_“Laura, you’re back!”_ Laura was taken off guard when she entered the office and Danny Lawrence hurried over, pulling her into an unexpected hug. A hug which Laura did not have the chance to return before she pulled away and peered down at her with concern. “We all heard about what happened. Are you _okay?”_

“I’m…” Laura nodded slowly, glancing around the office for her partner, “I’m doing better, I guess.”

She wasn’t quite back in work mode just yet and chitchatting wasn’t a priority right now.

“Are you _sure?_ Should you be back so soon?” Danny glanced at the crutch under her arm and back up. 

“Yes, I need to… I mean, I need to be here for Agent Karnstein.” She stared at Carmilla’s desk which was unoccupied. _Where was she?_

Danny huffed dismissively. “I was glad to hear that Agent Karnstein had finally received a little retribution for her behaviour. I haven’t missed her around here the last two weeks,” she shook her head. “You were missed though.”

Laura didn’t have the patience to listen to this right now. She barely heard a word of what Agent Lawrence said, she turned toward the office door, “Have you… _seen_ Agent Karnstein?”

“Not yet. Is she back today too?”

“Should be…” Laura said, distractedly. She moved away from Danny and over to her desk.

As if she felt her presence, Laura turned to look at Agent Karnstein as she entered the office. Their eyes met from across the room as she sauntered in looking nothing less than flawless in her maroon suit.

“Karnstein. Enjoy your suspension?” Agent Lawrence smirked in a satisfied sort of way.

“Probably two of the best weeks of my life,” Karnstein gave Lawrence a similar look, only allowing her a second of her time.

Neither of them immediately said anything as Karnstein came to her side, she looked solemn, her hands disappearing into her pockets.

Laura felt her heart beating harder as their eyes met, her nerves increasing.

“Are you ready?” Karnstein asked, quietly. 

“No.”

“Me neither.”

Agent Karnstein looked at Laura’s desk for a moment before she sucked in a deep breath.

“Let’s get this over with,” Karnstein looked as if she were about to reach out to touch her or maybe grab her hand but she stopped herself, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. She dropped her hands back into her suit pants pockets. They shared one last moment of eye contact before Karnstein turned and headed for the exit.

“Take a seat, Belmonde will be with you shortly,” the directors PA, Amy, said to them both. Laura noticed that she smiled excessively at Agent Karnstein and she frowned at that.

Only a moment or two later, Belmonde emerged from her office as intimidating as ever.

“Agents, good to see you both,” she smiled politely. “Please…” she gestured for them to follow her into her office.

Agent Karnstein stood aside to allow Laura in first with her crutch, walking in after her.

Belmonde took her seat and smiled at them both as they took theirs, the silence that followed felt tense and made Laura more nervous. She glanced across at her partner who was giving nothing away.

“How are you? How is your leg, Agent Hollis?” Belmonde looked to her.

“It’s slow progress but I’m starting to feel a lot better. I’m glad to be back,” Laura nodded. _That wasn’t true, she wasn’t glad to be back at all, she wished she could go back and enjoy the last two weeks all over again._

“I’m glad. I’ve read the reports and I must say I’m… _proud_ to have an agent like you on my team.”

Laura smiled, forgetting for a second or two what she was here for. Praise like that from A.D Belmonde? She almost blushed. Before she had a chance to respond, Belmonde looked toward Agent Karnstein.

“And how was your suspension, Agent Karnstein?”

Karnstein was quiet for a moment, “It was…” she hesitated and then sighed, shaking her head. Laura’s stomach fluttered as she waited to hear what Agent Karnstein was about to say.

“I understand the reason for my suspension and I thank you for not dealing me a worse fate, Assistant Director. But before you inform us of your decision on the matter of Agent Hollis’ reassignment, can I ask you to please reconsider?”

“My decision is made, Agent,” Belmonde rested her hands together on the desk. Belmonde regarded Karnstein for a moment with interest. 

Laura’s eyes closed as she prepared herself for the worst.

“I know I’ve made mistakes,” Agent Karnstein continued, “And I take responsibility for that but Agent Hollis has-” 

“I have decided,” Belmonde ignored Karnstein’s plea, she straightened some files on her desk unaffected, “To keep the both of you on my team.”

Laura’s mouth dropped open, she blinked. _Had she heard the Assistant Director correctly?_

“But I really do hope you’ll will make better choices in the future, Agent Karnstein.”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Laura beamed, she relaxed into her chair, she felt like she could cry with relief.

“The only reason you’re not being reassigned, Agent Hollis is because you’re a good agent and I need good agents around here. _And_ you were recently injured, I don’t really want to make things any harder for you than they have to be.”

“In all honesty, I think you are both good agents and it would be unpleasant for me to have to reassign either of you. You both work well together and you get the job done. But if I receive any indication that you’re disobeying orders or not following protocol, Agents, I will be forced to take further action,” Belmonde said, glancing between the two of them.

“Thank you, Assistant Director,” Karnstein stood, nodding at Belmonde. She glanced across at Laura with a small smile but other than that she displayed very little emotion.

“Welcome back, Agents,” Belmonde smiled.

_“Wait, wait…_ I have something that requires urgent attention,” Belmonde added as they both headed for the door.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Here’s an address,” she held up a piece of paper, “I need you to head over there ASAP. Possible child abduction.”

Karnstein raised a brow as she plucked the paper from between Belmonde’s fingers.

“No time to waste with this one, Agents.”

*

District Heights, Maryland

Agent Karnstein stepped out of the car, pulling on her long coat as a particularly cold wind blew and patiently waited for Laura to make it over to her.

She’d asked Laura before they left headquarters this morning if she should go alone to the crime scene but Laura had insisted on coming along. Her injury wasn’t going to stop her from working the case, especially after she’d been certain they’d never work a case together again.

Laura wanted to laugh and cry and pull her partner into her arms and just enjoy the relief that they were surely both feeling but they couldn’t do that because they had a job to do, a new case to work. _Maybe this is why Belmonde isn’t reassigning me_ , Laura wondered as they walked toward the house, _she needed someone to pick up this case for her_. 

Agent Karnstein held up her ID as they stepped over the threshold into the house. “I’m looking for the Agent in charge?”

“Yeah, that’s Agent Gerard, I’ll find him for you,” a fresh-faced agent skipped off into the house to look for his superior.

A few moments later, an older male agent with a pointed nose and thick eyebrows approached them with a questioning look.

“Morning. Agent Karnstein and Hollis,” Agent Karnstein said, getting the formalities out of the way quickly, “We’ve been sent over from D.C, what can you tell us?”

He nodded and urged them into the house, they walked through into the back which lead to what appeared to be a bedroom shared by two children. There were two beds, lots of fluffy stuffed toys on every available surface.

There was someone who appeared to be forensics working near the open window.

“Amy Swann, twelve years old, she was abducted from her bed around 10pm last night. Younger sister, Hannah Swann, awoke and caught a glimpse of the abductor before he escaped through that window with Amy.”

“Do you have any leads on the suspect?” Karnstein asked, glancing around the room with mild interest.

“Hair and fiber have left some promising leads but so far we haven’t found any prints,” Gerard responded. 

“What about the neighbors? Anybody see anything?” Laura asked, peeking out of the window into the yard.

Gerard shook his head, “Unfortunately nobody saw anything, not a car, nothing, but I’d say it’s got to be someone who knew the girl.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Karnstein responded, her hands landing in her pockets, “I’m guessing he probably didn’t know her so well, or else he wouldn’t have been so bold.”

Laura glanced between the two of them.

“Parents?” Karnstein raised a brow.

“Just a mother, she’s in the living room, “ Gerard gestured down the hall behind them, “She’s beside herself as expected.”

Karnstein nodded and turned, heading down the hall and into the quaint living room they’d just passed. Amy Swann’s mother had curly blonde hair, she looked tiny in an oversized red sweater. She sat still and stared out of the window. She did not turn to look at them as they entered the room. 

“Ms Swann, I’m Agent Karnstein, I’m with the FBI. I’m… I’m sorry about your daughter,” Karnstein took a seat on a small arm chair next to the couch.

Ms Swann slowly shifted her gaze to Agent Karnstein, “It’s her birthday on Tuesday,” she said quietly.

“We’re going to do everything we can to find her,” Karnstein studied her closely.

“Who… _who_ could do such a thing?” Ms Swann gaze returned to the window.

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Karnstein nodded, “ We’ll stop at nothing, Ms Swann.”

Karnstein stood after she received little more from the distraught mother and they headed back out into the hall.

“Are you aware of the Lucy Jacobs case, Agent Gerard?” Karnstein asked.

“Name sounds familiar,” Gerard lifted his chin, waiting for Agent Karnstein to continue. 

“Lucy Jacobs was 8 years old when she was abducted from her bedroom in a residence not far from here. Lucy was missing for five years before she escaped from the basement she was kept in. That was seventeen years ago.”

“You think there’s a connection?” Gerald’s brow furrowed in tthought.

“Couldn’t say but it’s worth considering. We’ll head back to D.C and wait on the forensics. I’ll delve into the Jacobs case and see what I can find. Keep us updated,” Karnstein said, turning and gesturing for Laura to head out before her.

“Where is Lucy Jacobs now?” Laura asked as they made it to the lawn outside the house.

“Lucy Jacobs died of a drug overdose three years ago, they never did find her abductor.” Karnstein said as they walked to her car. “When she escaped, she walked blindly for hours before she was found. She wasn’t able to retrace her steps because she was kept in the dark in the basement for so long that her eyes couldn’t adjust. She was blind when exposed to daylight.”

 _“Oh my god,”_ Laura grimaced _,_ “That’s _horrific.”_

Karnstein nodded in agreement as she held the passenger side door open for her, “It certainly is... Don’t you miss last week?”

*

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C

“How’s it going?” Laura leaned on the door frame to the computer archive room. Agent Karnstein had disappeared a number of hours ago, Laura found her sat at a desk in the archive room, working alone.

Carmilla gave her a small smile when she looked up.

She shrugged, “I wasn’t really expecting to find anything but we do have _this_.” She held up a sketch of a young man, “It was drawn up after Jacobs escaped from her abductor seventeen years ago. We can show it to Amy’s younger sister, see if she recognizes a resemblance, although, I don’t suppose she got that good of a look at her sister’s abductor and this sketch is almost twenty years old. There’s no telling what this guy would even look like now.”

“But at least it’s something,” Laura said, moving into the room and letting the door fall closed behind her. She walked over with her crutch, Karnstein pulled out the chair beside her and she sat with a sigh.

“How are you doing?” Karnstein asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Laura nodded, her lips twitching upwards, “Could be worse…”

She recalled the events of the day and sucked in a shaky breath as she became a little overwhelmed, “ _God…_ Carm, I’m… _I’m so relieved.”_

“Me too,” Carmilla gave her an assuring smile _._

Laura finally allowed herself to feel, “I didn’t… I didn’t know what I was going to do if I walked into that office this morning and Belmonde said she was separating us.”

Carmilla squeezed her shoulder, “I’ll make you a deal, Laura, you try not to get hurt again and I’ll try not to get myself into any trouble.”

“Deal,” Laura huffed a laugh, she looked teary eyed.

“Carm… everything that happened over the past two weeks… It... almost feels like a dream, like we stopped time and we had two _perfect_ weeks together.”

Karnstein nodded slowly.

Laura met her partners gaze. “But, now we’re back here, at work, in the _real_ world and there’s no more hiatus and we’re _still_ partners and-”

“And you think it was a mistake…” Karnstein dropped her hand, looking down at the file in front of her.

 _“No,”_ Laura shook her head decisively, _“Not at_ _all_ but I do think we need to talk about this. It was like… living someone else’s life where nothing else mattered but you and me.”

“What are you saying, Hollis?” Carmilla was unreadable as she looked up.

“Two weeks ago, I don’t think either of us was expecting this, that we’d still be working together. And… we both made choices based on that. _Not mistakes_ but choices. And now things have changed… or _not changed at all_ for that matter and… here we are and what do we do now?” Laura’s brow furrowed as she stared at her partner, awaiting a response. 

“…You may be right, Agent Hollis.” Carmilla sucked in a breath, “I don’t think either of us honestly expected to be in this position two weeks ago.”

Laura suddenly felt the urge to cry but she pushed those feelings down. “So, what do we do, Carm?”

Carmilla sucked in a breath as she met Laura’s gaze, she stared at her for a moment before she spoke, “Whatever you feel is best, Agent Hollis.” She stood rather abruptly.

“I need to pass this along to Agent Gerard, it’s the only lead we currently have,” Agent Karnstein muttered before walking around her and quickly leaving.

The room fell silent and Laura found herself sitting alone, she swallowed and blinked the tears from her eyes. _Whatever you feel is best? What did that mean? This shouldn’t be a decision Laura should make on her own… Did Carmilla not care?_

*

It was when Laura was lying in bed that night that she particularly felt like she was missing her partner. It’s not like they’d spent every night over the past two weeks together but she had gotten used to Carmilla being there for her. She had reached for her forgetfully in the early hours but she wasn’t there and she sighed into her pillow.

She’d frowned when Carmilla had wished her a good evening before leaving the office last night, like they were just a couple of colleagues who exchanged pleasantries at work, it was a hard blow. But her partners demeanor had confirmed it. It meant Carmilla wanted to go back to how things were before… so no matter how hard Laura might find that… that’s what she would do. They’d had two perfect weeks together… and maybe that’s just what it was. 

Her leg pained her more this morning as she limped into the office, after a mostly sleepless night.

“Hey,” Laura looked up from her desk when Agent Karnstein arrived.

“Hey,” Karnstein responded, she only glanced in Laura’s direction for a second before sitting down at her desk and getting straight to work. Laura felt that like a punch in the stomach.

“I have good news… it looks like there may have been break in the case,” Laura said, she struggled to meet her partners gaze.

“What have you got?”

“Information gathered by one of Gerard’s team. Printed school pictures were sent out this week to everyone in Amy Swann’s class… except Amy.”

“Go on,” Karnstein said with intrigue.

“The photographer checks out but he had an assistant. He was fired a few days after the school photos were taken at Amy’s school, a man named Carl Richards.”

“What have we got on him?” Agent Karnstein asked, sliding her chair closer to Laura’s desk to get a look at her screen.

“Not a lot. He spent most of the last fifteen years institutionalized for a bi polar condition. There’s no current address, all we have is this photo, it was taken by his employer trying out a new camera a few weeks ago.”

Carmilla reached across to her desk and held up the seventeen-year-old sketch of Lucy Jacobs abductor, “What do you think? Is it the same guy?”

There were definite similarities. “It looks like him,” Laura nodded.

“We need to show this picture to Amy’s little sister and then release the photo to the press, someone will recognize him.”

*

Police Station, District Heights, Maryland

They’d received a call from Agent Gerard, a man had made a report to the police in Maryland that matched the description of the suspect they were looking for. The office was busy and loud when they entered. They greeted Agent Gerard who led them toward the witness.

“Mr Hoffman, I’m Agent Karnstein with the FBI. This is my partner, Agent Hollis,” Agent Karnstein said pulling out a chair for her partner and then sitting down. Agent Gerard stood nearby. “We understand you’ve already informed Agent Gerard of what you saw, we’re from D.C, I was hoping we could ask you a few questions.”

Michael Hoffman was a thin gangly man, with overgrown brown hair, he was wearing blue overalls, his fingers were dirty, he looked as though he’d just come from work.

“Can you tell what you saw?”

“Sure, um… I’m an auto mechanic, we got a call so I was heading outta town to the job and I saw a car pulled up on the side of the road. It was a long old road and it’s surrounded by woods. It was starting to rain and it looked like the guy might need some help. By the looks of it, he had a flat at the back. So I pulled over and I asked him if he was okay. He said he was and I offered to help him, asked him he had a spare tire in the trunk. At this point, he got a little agitated, told me to back off. Then he started swinging a lug wrench at me. I called him crazy, got back in the van and took off.”

“Was this the man you saw?” Laura asked, dropping the photo of Richards on the table.

Hoffman nodded, “That’s him alright. Last time I try and do anyone a favor.”

“Do you remember anything else?” Karnstein asked.

“That’s how it happened. I mean, he was on his own, I’m almost certain there was no one else in the car but he said, _we’ll_ be okay and… he wouldn’t open the trunk.”

“Mr Hoffman,” Karnstein pulled a map from within her coat and opened it up on the table between them, “Can you place on the map where this incident took place?" 

Hoffman nodded and pulled the map closer, he followed the road with his finger and then paused and pointed. “That’s where he was. Probably long gone by now though.”

Agent Karnstein stared at the place on the map where Hoffman’s finger had been, she then nodded and stood.

“Thank you, Mr Hoffman,” Laura said as they left the room followed by Agent Gerard.

“Strange,” Agent Karnstein said, turning to address them both.

“Why? What is?” Laura asked.

Agent Karnstein held up the map, “It’s strange because the spot on the map that Hoffman just pointed out, that’s the exact location that Lucy Jacobs was picked up from the day she was found seventeen years ago.”

 _“Wow,”_ Laura whispered.

“Agent Gerard, get some agents down there, I think Hoffman is right, it’s likely Richards is long gone by now but he must live close by. Myself and Agent Hollis will head into town and ask around.”

“This guy’s a photographer right?” Laura wondered aloud, “I think I know where we could ask.”

*

Billings Photo’s, Maryland

The photography store was small, there was man sitting behind the counter staring at his phone. Laura wondered how a place like this could stay in business, she’d certainly not visited a store like this in a decade or more.

“Afternoon,” the young man looked up from his phone and blinked at them, maybe they didn’t look like his usual clientele. “What can I do for you today?”

“I’m Agent Hollis with the FBI,” she held up her ID, “And this is my partner, Agent Karnstein. We’ve been asking around town, we’re looking for a man named Carl Richards. We believe he’s a photographer. Do you know this man?”

“Not off the top of my head…” The young man shrugged.

“Do you recognize him?” Karnstein dropped his photo onto the counter.

“Oh, this guy. Yeah, I know him, probably comes in once a month. Kind of creepy if I’m honest. Didn’t know his name was Carl.”

“Have you seen him recently?” Laura asked.

“Yeah… um, he could have been in yesterday actually. He has an account with us.”

“An account?” Karnstein raised a brow.

“Yeah, he prints his pictures here sometimes.”

“Really? Would the account have an address?”

“Sure…”

*

Richard’s Residence, Maryland

After acquiring the address and making a phone call to Agent Gerard, by the time Laura and Agent Karnstein arrived at Carl Richards home, it was alive with the presence of police and FBI agents. But when they stepped out the vehicle, the mood in the air didn’t indicate success. Laura sighed, guessing they hadn’t found the girl.

The house wasn’t easy to find, it was surrounded by woodland, the path leading up to the house was winding and long, Richards didn’t have any neighbors close by. The house looked as though no one had been there for decades.

They found Agent Gerard near the entrance of the house, he was frowning at something in his hand.

“From what I’m seeing here, I’m guessing it’s not good news,” Agent Karnstein said, displeased.

“There’s nobody here… but they _were_ ,” Gerard held up a photograph. “This was found in the basement.”

It was a photograph of Amy Swann. The photo had been taken with flash in the dark of the basement, her face was overexposed and pale. Her eyes were red from crying, she looked terrified.

“Richards probably left with the girl in a hurry, there’s hot embers in the fireplace, he couldn’t have been gone too long.”

Karnstein turned away and ran a hand through her hair, then gripped at the bridge of her nose, Laura knew how she was feeling. They were certain Amy Swann was about to be found and that very soon they could head back to D.C triumphant but things were never that easy.

Agent Gerard answered his phone taking a few steps away from them. Laura placed a comforting hand on her partners shoulder.

“Hey,” Laura murmured quietly.

“Hey,” Karnstein sighed, glancing toward her.

“We’ll find her,” Laura’s lips twitched upwards in a small encouraging smile.

“I’m sure we’ll find her, Hollis. I’m just not so sure that we’ll find her alive.”

They stared at each other, Laura felt relief at this, she didn’t feel as though Agent Karnstein had really looked at her since yesterday. She wanted to reach out and smooth out the frown line on her partners brow. She held back, it wasn’t the time or the place and would probably be inappropriate considering everything. To Laura’s surprise, Karnstein reached out and lightly entwined their fingers. She appeared to draw strength as if she were grounding herself. When she let go of Laura’s fingers, her face was full of determination and she was back on task.

“Richards car has been spotted about a mile from here near the river!” Gerard shouted.

There was upheaval as agents and police ran back to their vehicles, Laura and Agent Karnstein lost also in that commotion.

Following the vehicle ahead led them in the right direction and once Agent Karnstein spotted the river on their right, she pulled the car over.

“Stay in the car,” Karnstein said, her eyes landing on Laura’s crutch for a second as she got out, and quickly withdrew her weapon.

“ _No, wait-”_ Laura called after her but Agent Karnstein ran into the trees and disappeared.

Laura sighed, murmuring to herself, “ _Stay in the car?..._ That’s the last thing I’m going to do.” She hopped out of the car as she quickly as she could manage. With her crutch under her arm, she followed her partner through the trees and down onto the river bank.

She heard shots being fired and when she made it to the bank, she saw her partner drop into the water and drag what must be Amy Swann’s body to the bank as other agents arrived on the scene.

Laura hobbled down the bank towards Agent Karnstein, she saw Richards lifeless body floating in the water as agents attempted to fish him out.

“He was trying to drown her,” Karnstein gasped out. She put her ear to Amy’s mouth, “ _Shit,_ she’s not breathing.”

Laura yelled to an agent nearby to call an ambulance as Agent Karnstein started CPR.

She knelt on the ground next to her partner, Laura saw Amy properly for the first time, she was pale and lifeless and when she reached out and touched her hand she was cold. 

Agent Karnstein blew more air into Amy’s mouth and continued the compressions, “Carm… Carm, I think…” Laura didn’t want to say the words out loud because she didn’t want to hear them herself.

She watched for a few more moments as her partner kept at it.

“Karnstein, I think... she’s d-“ Amy Swann was suddenly spitting up water, coughing and heaving. Laura sat back in surprise and the pulled Amy over onto her side.

This sort of thing didn’t happen, Laura had been certain this girl was dead. There was no chance… she smiled, pulling off her coat and placing it over Amy Swann.

“Amy, my name is Agent Karnstein, you’re going to be okay, we’ve got you. You’re safe now, do you understand?”

“We got some help on the way,” Laura said, “We’ll get you to a hospital and you’ll be safe and your mom will be there, okay? You’re safe now.”

*

The drive back to D.C had been quiet, Laura wasn’t quite sure how to initiate the conversation she wanted to have. And Karnstein didn’t seem interested in general chitchat. 

“Is your car at work?” Karnstein asked as they entered D.C, clearing her throat.

“No, I caught a cab,” Laura said, quietly. “I haven’t used my car too much since my injury.”

She glanced sideways at her partner who stared straight at the road ahead.

“Okay, I’ll drop you home,” Karnstein said, she sounded as though she were choosing her words carefully.

“Thank you,” Laura watched her for a moment and then turned to stare out of the passenger side window.

The tension was overbearing, it was uncomfortable. Laura sighed, turning back to her partner. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, biting her lower lip.

“Of course,” Karnstein replied quickly with a small shrug, “Why wouldn’t I be? We saved the girl.”

“That not what I meant, are _you_ okay, Carm?”

Karnstein looked across at her only for a second.

“Never better,” she said, it sounded suspiciously sarcastic.

“Well, that’s just not true,” Laura replied, a little angrier than she had intended that to sound.

“What do you want me to say, Laura?” Carmilla said, she huffed in annoyance.

“I want you talk to me, tell me what you're feeling, Carm. I don’t know what to do. I can’t stand _this.”_ Laura sucked in shaky breathe, this was not the time to cry.

“Laura, you were probably right about everything,” Carmilla released a breath.

“About what?”

“About the last few weeks… about…” she sighed. “The last thing we need in this job is… _distractions.”_

“Right,” Laura’s stomach was in knots. “Okay, no, yeah um… that’s a good point. Good point. Do we um… we just-”

She pulled up outside of Laura’s apartment.

“We just.. we’re still partners so we just go back… to how things were before… we should be happy I guess, we got what we wanted. I’m still here and we’re sill working together and…” Laura forced herself to stop rambling.

Carmilla slowly glanced across to meet her gaze and Laura sucked in a shaky breath.

She had one shining glittering moment of hope where she thought Carmilla was going to lean across and kiss her. She’d glanced down at her mouth and back up in a way that meant she might want to… but then she turned away and muttered a quiet, “Good night, Agent Hollis…”

Laura licked her lower lip and swallowed heavily. She nodded, it seemed Karnstein was politely telling her to get out of the car. 

“Good night,” Laura replied, her hand was shaking as she reached to open the door.

Sure they could go back to how things were… couldn’t they? Except… now she knew what it was like to kiss Carmilla and touch her and hear her moan and they knew each other intimately…. But, she’d just have to let that go, remember it fondly but move on.

They were professionals first and foremost. Partners… companions colleagues... they’d make it work... it would all be fine… 


	13. The Hostage Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X Files episode - Folie à Deux (S5)

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

“…We’ve been partners for two years now. Kirsch is a really good guy, I mean, I despised him at first, but he kinda grew on me.” Danny said, she loudly sucked up the dregs of her smoothie through a straw as they stepped off the escalator onto their floor. “I’d rather have Kirsch than Karnstein anyway.”

Laura’s brow furrowed momentarily as they walked, Danny’s obvious distaste for her partner was starting to grate on her.

“It’s not like that, Danny… She’s… she’s…” _Gorgeous. Fearless. Righteous. Gifted. The absolute perfect woman._ “… She’s a really great person once you get to know her.”

“Respect for putting up with her, Hollis,” Danny smiled. 

“It’s not like that at all,” Laura was starting to get genuinely irritated now. “I… she’s…”

She paused as they rounded the corner and she glanced up to see Agent Karnstein exit their office and head toward them. “Where have you been, Hollis? Belmonde wants to see us.”

“I was having lunch with Danny,” Laura said, gesturing to the tall agent beside her. “Belmonde wants to see us?”

Karnstein raised a brow, her eyes flickered to Danny and back to Laura. She pursed her lips and mumbled, “Again, huh? Isn’t that great… Well, Belmonde is waiting…” She walked around them, giving them both a wide berth and disappeared around the corner.

“Karnstein, _hold up,”_ Laura called after her. She quickly mumbled to Danny that she had to go and followed on after her partner.

“What going on?” She asked as she caught up with Agent Karnstein.

“No idea, a case I’m guessing. Wait a sec, where’s…" Karnstein stopped in her tracks and glanced down at her leg and back up. "Where’s your crutch?”

“I left it at home,” Laura smiled proudly. “Didn’t you notice I haven't had it all day.”

Karnstein usually noticed everything.

She shook her head, “… I’m glad, Hollis. Are you doing okay?”

Laura nodded, “I’m getting around pretty well actually. You still walk maybe _a little_ too quick for my pace though,” she smirked.

Karnstein smiled and gestured for her to walk in front and set the pace.

The door to Belmonde’s personal assistants office was open when they arrived. 

“Hi Karnstein,” Amy grinned, she didn’t seem to notice that Laura was even there.

Laura frowned as she watched her partner exchange pleasantries with Belmonde’s PA. She grit her teeth at her loud annoying laugh. She quickly looked away when Agent Karnstein glanced in her direction.

“Agent’s Karnstein and Hollis are here,” Amy said into her phone, she was still smiling at Karnstein. “I’ll send them in.”

Laura walked around her partner and straight into Belmonde’s office. She was pissed off even though she knew she had no right to be. Her partner hadn’t even done anything wrong and yet she was angry with her. Laura was angry at herself for being bothered at all.

She sat down with a huff opposite the Assistant Director.

“Good afternoon, Agents, I hope neither of you had plans this evening. Amy has managed to book two seats on a flight to Chicago this afternoon for you both.” Belmonde said, closing a file on her desk.

“Chicago? Why?” Karnstein asked, taking her seat.

“To perform a threat assessment.”

“A threat assessment for whom? What’s the threat?” Laura asked with intrigue.

“Telemarketing company called VinylRight, their hub in Oakbridge was the focus of an anonymous audio manifesto which has threatened violence. Several years back they had a similar incident in another office where a disgruntled employee showed up to work with a gun so they feel they can’t be too careful.”

“Why can’t the Chicago field office take care of it?” Karnstein asked, brow furrowed.

“Because I’d prefer if you did. You’ll be meeting the manager there at 9am tomorrow morning.” Belmonde smiled too sweetly.

Karnstein blinked and looked as though she’d love to say something more, instead she cleared her throat and stood, “You got it,” she mumbled with an unconvincing smile.

“Amy will give you the details,” Belmonde smiled. 

*

Agent Karnstein was visibly annoyed when they left the office, she stalked away down the corridor, Laura struggled to keep up with her.

 _“Karnstein,”_ She called after her.

Agent Karnstein paused and turned to face her.

“Belmonde’s obviously still pissed at me,” She pointed a finger in the direction of Belmonde’s office, “She’d have never sent me on this pathetic assignment before. She’s doing this on purpose, she’s trying my patience… _A threat assessment?_ _Really? Why?_ I’m better than that and she’s-”

 _“I’m… I? Hello, I’m here too,_ we’re a _we_ not an _I,”_ Laura replied with a frown, “Nor do _I_ assume that this case is just a waste of our time.”

“You heard her, there’s _nothing_ to this. She’s sending us on this lousy assignment to try and _piss me off!”_ Karnstein said angrily. “…And it’s working!" 

“Karnstein, I don’t know if you remember but you’re barely back from suspension, you really shouldn’t be fussy about the cases we’re asked to work.”

Karnstein shook her head and gripped the bridge of her nose. “This isn’t a case, this is _crap.”_

“You haven’t exactly got much of a choice but to fall in line here and I wouldn’t even think about disobeying her orders,” Laura said in a hushed tone, suddenly conscious that they were having this conversation in the middle of the busy corridor.

 _“Fine, whatever,_ let’s just get this over with,” Karnstein breathed out an irritated sigh and stalked away.

Laura didn’t immediately move follow her, she worried her lower lip as she stared at her partners retreating form. She felt like Karnstein had been distancing herself lately. Laura still noticed a change in her demeanor. Her partner was tense and easily frustrated by things, more so than normal. She looked tired, worn out and she wasn’t quite at the top of her game either… whatever it was Karnstein wasn’t interested in talking to her about it. Laura received the same response every time she asked… I’m fine. 

* 

Mellow Motel, Chicago

It was getting late when they pulled up outside of the closest motel they could find. Karnstein’s mood hadn’t improved much, she was quiet and reserved. Laura glanced sideways at her before she got out of the car, her eyes were dark, she looked exhausted.

Laura shivered, pulling her coat tighter around herself, her leg ached as they walked across the lot. The motel was quiet, they entered the small office. A man glanced up from this magazine and nodded at them both by way of a greeting.

“Hi there, can we get two rooms please?” Laura asked with a small smile.

“Um… sorry ladies, I can give you… one room with two beds?” he glanced between them both.

Laura heard her partners sigh behind her.

“That’s all you have?” Laura asked quietly.

“It’s all I got. I’ll give you it at a discount if you take it?” He half shrugged.

Laura glanced over her shoulder at Agent Karnstein.

Karnstein nodded, “I’m tired, and I really don’t want to have to get back in that car.”

Laura relaxed as they entered the motel room, it was warm and the orangey glow of the lamps gave the room a cozy feel. To her surprise there were two queen sized beds side by side and Laura slipped off her coat and dropped down onto the nearest bed with an exaggerated sigh.

She watched Karnstein as she sat on the edge of her bed, she slipped off her shoes and jacket. Laura frowned as she watched her drop her head into her hands with a quiet sigh. She was about to ask her if she was okay but then Agent Karnstein sat up, ran a hand through her hair, rolled up her sleeves and pulled a book from her bag. She relaxed back onto her bed to read. Neither of them spoke but the silence wasn’t bad, it was comfortable enough.

Agent Karnstein was so easy to stare at, even when she doing absolutely nothing like she was right now, she was fascinating to watch. Laura swallowed and looked away, her face warm. She didn’t know what she’d do if her partner caught her staring.

She busied herself by switching on the tv and passing through the stations over and over again, unable to stick to one, her gaze flicking to her partner every few minutes. This felt oddly familiar, she recalled lying across her couch at home watching the tv while Karnstein sat with a hand on her knee and her nose in a book. Laura’s stomach squirmed as she glanced across at her partner again, remembering the wonderful two weeks they had spent together. In this moment all she wanted to do was grab the book from her partners hands and snuggle up next to her. But he couldn’t do that, so she shifted her gaze back to the tv and continued flicking through the stations.

After a little while Karnstein got up and sauntered across the room, pouring some of the complimentary water into a glass, “Do you want water?”

Laura hadn’t been expecting Agent Karnstein to speak and was momentarily startled, she nodded, and mumbled a quiet, “Please.”

She watched as Karnstein poured out the rest of the water into a second glass and Laura wasn’t quite sure what happened next but it must have slipped from her grasp because the glass hit the carpet with a thump.

 _“Goddammit,”_ Karnstein ran a hand over her face in frustration and sat heavily on the edge of her bed, she leaned forward and rested her head in her hands again.

Laura sat up and looked across at her with concern.

“Carm…” she said quietly, she got up, picked up the glass, placed it on the side and sat down close to her partner. 

“Carm,” she placed a hand on her shoulder, “What’s wrong? What is it?”

Carmilla sat up but she didn’t look across at her, choosing instead to stare at the wall across the room, “It’s nothing,” she sighed, “I’m… I’m okay, just … I’m still pissed at Belmonde and… and…”

 _“What?”_ Laura stared at her. 

“I’m sorry, Hollis, I’m… I’m tired, I’ve not been sleeping too well recently,” she mumbled, massaging her temple and running a hand through her hair.

“Why?... _Carm,”_ Laura hated this, she could cry if she let herself. She wanted to help, she wanted to make things better.

Carmilla finally met her gaze and they stared at each other, it was intense. Laura bit down on her lower lip anxiously.

“You know, it’s strange…” Carmilla whispered, she licked her lower lip as she seemed to consider something, “I didn’t have a single nightmare the nights I slept next to you.”

Laura’s eyes opened wider and she sucked in a shaky breath. She hadn’t expected her partner to actually bring it up, to talk about the two wonderful weeks they had spent together. She could have sighed in relief, she’d felt like Carmilla had just been pretending the whole thing hadn’t happened.

She swallowed, her throat felt tight. A sob like sound she hadn’t intended to make left her mouth and she wrapped her arms around her partners neck in a firm hug. Carmilla relaxed into it after a few seconds, Laura felt her hands glide from her waist around her back and she sighed into her neck, Laura shivered.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, neither one of them seemed to want to let go. Laura rubbed her fingers against the back of Carmilla’s neck and whispered, “Then you’ll just have to sleep next to me tonight…”

Carmilla pulled away with an expression of surprise.

“No, it's… stupid, I wouldn’t-”

 _“Hey_ , look at me.”

Carmilla fell silent and she stared at Laura with what was possibly the cutest little sad pout she’d ever seen. All she wanted to do was grab her partners face and kiss her.

“Will you stop overthinking everything just for a few minutes, please?” Laura’s lips twitched upwards in a small smile.

“Rich coming from you,” Karnstein responded with a raised brow.

Laura laughed quietly and shook her head, that was more like the Carmilla she knew.

“Listen to me, okay. I’m going to stay here next to you tonight and you get some rest. Because Carm, I’m _worried_ about you. You look exhausted.”

Laura’s hand seemed to move of its own volition, sliding from around the back of Carmilla’s neck to lightly trace her exposed collar bone.

Carmilla sucked in a breath and stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly.

“Good,” Laura smiled, _“Great…_ I’ll be… I’m going to change… in the bathroom.”

Laura hadn’t realized her hands were shaking until she tried to put toothpaste on her toothbrush. _Calm down, Hollis. She’s just going to be sleeping next to you that’s all. Carmilla just needs a good night’s rest before they start work on this assignment tomorrow. Just a friend helping a friend that’s all it is._

“Ahh, the cupcake pajamas make a welcome return,” Carmilla smirked for what might have been the first time in a week, she lay back on the bed with an arm under her head, she lowered her book.

Laura blushed and shook her head, _“Shh… you.”_

What happened to the Carmilla of ten minutes ago? She felt as though she’d come back to a whole different person. Not that Laura was complaining, not at all.

Carmilla bit down on her lower lip and watched as Laura climbed onto the bed beside her.

“So, I’m tired. I’ll be going to sleep,” Laura felt the need to say this out loud, glancing at her partner for only a second. “You can keep a light on if you want to read, I don’t mind,” she got under the sheets.

“No, think I’ll just get ready for bed too. I’m beat,” Carmilla got up and disappeared into the bathroom.

Laura felt Carmilla climbing into the bed beside her but she didn’t open her eyes, she really was tired. She did feel a sense of relief that she couldn’t quite explain. She felt content for the first time in a while as she quite happily drifted off to sleep.

*

“ _Hmmm… Carm,”_ Laura smiled and tightened her grip around Carmilla’s waist, she was wedged right up against her partners back. _God… she’d missed this…_

_Missed this…?_

_Oh Crap._

She opened her eyes and pulled away quickly but it was too late, Carmilla was awake and moved to lay on her back with a brazen smile in the direction.

“That… wasn’t meant to happen,” Laura smiled awkwardly, feeling her face heat up.

“Oh, I don’t mind…” Carmilla ran a hand through her hair.

How dare she? How dare she lay there all cute and sleepy and sexy and that just wasn’t fair. Laura forced herself to look away. 

“Any bad dreams?” she stared at the bed sheets.

“None…” Carmilla stretched her limps comfortably, a groan leaving her mouth.

 _“Okay!”_ Laura scrambled out of the bed. “Good, that’s… really good. Excuse me, I’m gonna go... grab a shower.” 

*

VinylRight, Oakbridge, Chicago

They followed the manager, Mr Timothy Rice, through the long office floor, there must have been close to 100 people working in the tiny cubicles that filled the room, it was loud, as they all made phone calls.

They reached a door marked, ‘Manager’ and Mr Rice walked on in.

“I have the file on my computer,” he said, walking around his desk and taking a seat, “Let me just pull it up.“

They both took seats and waited for Mr Rice to find what he was looking for.

Agent Karnstein, though still unhappy with the assignment appeared to be in a better temperament this morning. She glanced across at Laura and raised her eyebrows briefly as they waited.

“This was sent into the local radio station, whoever sent it requested it to be played over and over all day, the station obviously elected not to do so,” Rice said, hitting a button on his keyboard and audio began to play.

_“Attention, people of Chicago, this is a warning of the utmost urgency. At VinylRight in Oakbridge there is a monster, an evil monster that preys on the people there, but no one can see him. I see it. I know where to look so I must stop it, kill it because if I don’t … he will take us all.”_

Laura tried to hold back a smile as Agent Karnstein rested her face in her hands, shaking her head.

“It’s sounds like a man. Do you recognize the voice?” Laura asked, clearing her throat.

“Ma’am, we have 95 employees working in this building…”

“Your company had a violent incident in recent history, is that correct?” Laura continued.

“Yeah, a few years ago, branch in Kansas city, an employee came into work with a gun and threatened everybody… I think it was over a woman,” Rice responded.

“Can I get a copy of that audio?” Karnstein asked, she appeared to have pulled herself together.

“Sure, I’ll put it on a stick,” Rice nodded, “So, I know head office has to call you about things like this, but it’s got to be a prank, right? Some guy taking a joke too far?”

“It’s best to air on the side of caution, it could be nothing but it could be a paranoid employee with a psychological disorder for all we know. Can you hire security for the building?” Karnstein asked.

“Could do. I’m also conducting an internal investigation, interviewing employees, seeing if their happy, that sort of thing,” Rice said, handing Karnstein a USB.

“Good idea, use your best judgement, Mr Rice,” Agent Karnstein nodded. “We’ll be in touch.”

Karnstein’s hands slipped into her pants pockets as they wandered back through the busy office. Laura glanced around warily at the people nearby, any of them could be behind this…

“How do you feel about this… I’ll head back to the motel and analyze this audio, you head over to the field office and see what you can find out about the Kansas City incident. I’d be interested in hearing if there’s any similarities to this.”

*

Mellow Motel, Chicago

Carmilla hit a button on her laptop and the audio began to play again, she’d listened to it about a dozen times so far. She frowned as she listened to the voice and began to scribble on the notepad in front of her.

_Faultless, likely re-recorded several times_

_Desire to be taken seriously_

_Too formal_

_Desire for authority_

_Obvious paranoia_

She hit the key and began to listen to the audio again. Her phone began to chime, she got up from the desk and grabbed her jacket off the bed to search for her phone.

Hollis

_“Hey, it’s me. How’s it going?”_

Carmilla walked back over to the desk and sat down, staring at her notes.

“I’m thinking there might actually be something to this, Hollis… the guy that recorded this, he’s serious, he’s focused, he wants to be believed.”

 _“If its genuine… we’re going to have to speak to every employee_ _aren’t we?”_ Laura said, unenthusiastically.

“I want to see if can get access to employee records, details… it could help in identifying a select few employees to speak to first,” Carmilla said, sitting back in her chair, “Anything on the Kansas City incident?”

“No correlation to this that I could find. From what I’ve seen here, Rice was correct, it was some kind of lovers quarrel.”

“Okay, I’m going to head back to Oakbridge and talk to Rice, I’ll meet you there.”

*

VinylRight, Oakbridge, Chicago

Carmilla halted when she walked into the office, she frowned as she glanced around, in stark contrast to the scene she had walked in on that morning, the office now appeared to be entirely empty.

It was silent and eerie, _where was everyone?_

She took a few steps, glancing around suspiciously.

“Mr Rice?” she called, hearing no response.

She headed towards the manager’s office, pausing when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. She frowned and moved towards it, there was a woman… she was hiding under a desk.

“What are you doing?” Carmilla asked quietly. She glanced around before approaching.

 _“Shh, get down! Hide!”_ She whisper shouted, her face was wet with tears. 

“Why? What’s-”

“ _Who are you?”_ Came a voice from behind her.

Carmilla turned quickly, she was about to reach for her gun on instinct but found an assault rifle was pointing directly at her. She very calmly moved both of her hands out in front of her.

Holding the gun was a man, mid 30s, his white shirt hung loosely off him, his eyes were shadowy, he had a layer of sweat coating his brow, he held the gun as if ready to shoot.

 _“Who are you?”_ He repeated.

“My name is Carmilla.” 

*

Laura jumped out of the cab hurriedly, she glanced around in alarm. The building was surrounded, FBI, swat team, police… _What was going on here? Where was her partner?_

She approached a man wearing an FBI jacket and held up her ID. 

“Where’s the agent in charge of this operation? And what the hell’s going on here?” She asked, nodding toward the building.

The agent gestured to a male agent, he looked young and well groomed, he was talking to a member of the swat. She headed in his direction.

“I’m Agent Hollis, what can you tell me?” She had to yell over the sound of a helicopter moving overhead.

“It’s a hostage situation. We keep ringing the phones but nobody’s answering.”

“Who’s inside?” Laura asked.

“We can’t be sure of a total but there’s 18 cars in the lot. It was lunch so many of the employees weren’t inside at the time. Luckily, it looks like one of cars in the lot is a hire, registered to an FBI agent, Karnstein."

“That’s my partner,” Laura said with a nod.

Of course. Of course Carmilla was in the building. She held back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her and took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to panic.

“We’re going to call her cell,” the agent said, pulling out a phone.

 _“What? No._ What’s your name?” Laura asked, staring at the agent with a frown.

“Bryce.”

“Agent Bryce, we _cannot_ call my partner. Not until we have a clear idea of the situation-”

She was interrupted by the swat guy, his helmet covered most of his face, “There’s a cafeteria in the building, we think he’s got everyone barricaded in there. He couldn’t have picked a better spot. There’s one door and no windows. We’re not going to get a clear idea of the situation unless someone in there talks to us.”

 _“No!”_ Laura yelled, “ You could _compromise_ my partner, we need to find another way-”

* 

_“Everybody stop crying! Just shut the hell up!”_

The room fell silent, apart from the occasional sob someone was unable to hold back.

Carmilla was on her knees, she had her hands intertwined behind her head, along with every other employee caught up in this situation, except she stayed calm and quiet. Her eyes scanned the room, there were 16 people in there including the hostage taker and herself.

Everyone was on their knees forming a kind of half circle around the room. Mr Rice was separate from everybody, the hostage taker stood close by him.

 _“Shut up!_ I’m here to _protect_ you all! You all need to be afraid of _him_!” He pointed his AK47 at the Mr Rice’s head.

 _“Gary, please…”_ Mr Rice flinched, he was shaking and flinched away from the weapon. 

_“Shut up!_ I’m not talking to you.”

“Why should we be afraid of Mr Rice, Gary?” Carmilla asked calmly, every eye turned to her.

He stared at her suspiciously, she continued, “I’d really like to hear what you have to say…”

“Who are you?” He asked her for the third time.

“My name is Carmilla,” she responded coolly.

“You said that already… What are you _doing_ here? Because you don’t work here,” Gary said, taking a few steps toward her. “I’d remember a face like yours.”

“…Applying for a job,” she stared at him intently, expressionless.

Gary began to laugh hysterically and glanced around at the rest of the hostages as if expecting them to laugh along with him, “You came to the _wronnng_ place.” 

“Why should we be afraid of Mr Rice, Gary?” Carmilla asked again. 

He turned to face Rice, “Because… Because he’s a _monster_ , only _you_ can’t see anything because he’s clouded everybody’s mind… but not mine. _Not mine!”_

Carmilla carefully reached down when Gary’s back was turned and unfastened the clap on her weapon at her side which was hidden under jacket and quickly put her arm back up.

“Gary, I really wanna believe that you’re protecting us… but I’m kinda afraid of that rifle,” she said, glancing down at the gun in his hands.

Gary turned and narrowed his eyes at her, “Why are you talking to me like that? _I’m not a three year old!_ You don’t understand what I’m talking about!”

Carmilla could do nothing but watch as a man across the room decided it was time to play the hero, standing up and diving across the room toward Gary.

She didn’t even flinch as the rifle was fired and the man fell to the floor dead. A chorus of crying and screaming broke out again and Carmilla watched as Gary didn’t even seem to notice this and instead looked up, staring intently at the ceiling tiles. She followed his gaze and watched a small trickle of dust fall to the ground in the centre of the room. There was someone above…

She did flinch this time as Gary opened fire at the ceiling and a shower of dust and broken tiles started to hit the floor around them. 

*

 _“Shots fired! Shots fired!”_ Laura bit down on her lower lip, as he watched the swat team jumping off the roof onto some kind of crane arm.

_Of course her partner would somehow end up getting taken hostage because that is exactly the kind of thing that always happened to them…_

“We need to find out what's going on in that building!” Agent Bryce yelled, “We have no choice, I’m calling your partner.”

“No! If it was safe to do so she would have called me already!” Laura said angrily.

“Hollis, we’re running out of options here.” 

*

The room was quiet again, Gary had forced two of the hostages to drag the dead man’s body into the corner and a trail of blood coated the floor. 

Carmilla’s fingers itched to reach for her weapon… if Gary would just look in the other direction for a moment…

She dropped her hand but winced as her phone started to ring… Gary turned toward her.

Carmilla swallowed, “It’s my phone…”

Gary walked toward her and stared down at her, he reached forward as if he were about to reach into her jacket pocket for her phone then his eyes landed on the gun at her side.

He frowned angrily and reached down, pulled the gun from its holster and stared at her for a moment.

“Who-” He was interrupted when her phone started to chime a second time.

He shoved her gun into the back of his pants and reached into Carmilla’s jacket pocket, pulling out her phone along with her ID. Carmilla stared calmly at him.

 _“FBI!? You lied to me!_ You messing with me?” Gary said hysterically, he pointed his rifle at her.

The phone went off a third time before Carmilla could think of a response and this time Gary answered.

_“Hello… is anyone on the line? We heard gun fire… is everyone okay?”_

It wasn’t a voice that Carmilla recognised…

“I killed a guy but I had too, I had no choice. Rice must have already got to him.” Gary responded, “Now you listen to me, I’m going to use this phone to stream a live video… I won’t hurt anyone else if you just _put me on the damn tv,_ everyone needs to know about the monster!”

*

“He shot a hostage…” Bryce said after hanging up the phone.

 _“Who?”_ Laura asked automatically.

“Don’t know, he’s asking to be put on the tv.”

She walked back and forth, ten minutes later, waiting for whatever was to come next. Bryce was staring at the phone in his hand. There was a ping and he pulled up the live video from inside the building.

“We’ve got a view of the room!”

Laura moved closer, stared at the phone screen, at the shaky video.

She saw Karnstein with her hands behind her head, _oh, thank god…_

The camera swung around to Rice who was on his knees, the hostage taker was talking…

“The back wall is clear!” Bryce yelled, “Move in!” 

* 

“… But _I’m_ the only one who can see this man for what he really is!” Gary pointed his gun at Rice’s head. “If I don’t do this, he’ll come after everyone! It’s him!"

Rice was sobbing at this point, Gary was going to kill him any second and Carmilla couldn’t let this go on any longer.

She got to her feet and without a moment’s hesitation, moved across the room and stood in front of Mr Rice.

 _“What are you doing!?”_ Gary pointed the gun at her head, _“Get out of the way now!”_

Carmilla’s brow furrowed when the lights suddenly went out, the room was cloaked in darkness. She was just adjusting to this, figuring out her next move when there was a crash, she thought for a second that the building was caving in but light was suddenly streaming in through the back wall as what appeared to be an assault vehicle came crashing straight through the wall.

Thinking quickly, she pulled Mr Rice up from the floor and dragged him away as Gary opened fire on the swat team that was were entering the room through the hole in the wall.

Seconds later, Gary’s body hit the floor. 

*

Carmilla dropped her gun back in its holster as she watched Gary being placed into a body bag… She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, she’d been treating this assignment like it was some kind of joke and yeah, maybe she wouldn’t have been able to stop this from happening but two men were dead… if only she’d taken the initiative this morning, if she’d only spoken to employees sooner, maybe this wouldn’t have happened, maybe no one would have died… 

“Carm… Agent Bryce is taking lead on this, you look exhausted… come on,” she felt a tug on her arm and she turned to look at Agent Hollis.

“No, I’m fine,” Carmilla shook her head.

“Agent Bryce has the situation in hand. _We’re_ _leaving,_ ” Hollis said, she reached up and brushed some of the dust off of Carmilla’s jacket. “Let’s get you out of here.”

*

Mellow Motel, Chicago

Laura noticed that her partners hands were visibly shaking as she drove them back to the motel. Laura chewed her lip, she wanted to reach over and take Karnstein’s hand but she refrained.

Neither of them spoke, Laura wanted to comfort her but she knew Agent Karnstein and that might do more harm than good right now.

Karnstein dropped onto the edge of the bed with a sigh, she stared at the carpeted floor and ran a hand through her hair.

“Are you okay?” Laura asked quietly.

“I’m fine, Agent Hollis,” Karnstein glanced in her direction and then stood, taking off her jacket and began to try and to whack some of the dust off to little effect.

Laura sighed, chewing her lower lip.

“You know you’ve been through something really traumatic today… it’s okay not to be okay, Agent Karnstein,” Laura said, she moved closer. She reached out and took the jacket from her partners grasp.

“ _I just told you,_ _I’m fine!”_ Karnstein said irritated, she scowled in Laura’s direction.

Laura blinked at her, silence filled the room. She released shaky breath and took a step away, “I need- I need a walk. I’m gonna take a walk,” Laura mumbled, turning and heading toward the door.

“No, wait. Wait… _Laura!”_

She paused and turned around. Willing herself not to cry.

“It’s… It’s cold out there,” Carmilla whispered.

Laura almost smiled at that, “I think I can handle the cold.” 

“I’m sorry,” Carmilla said quickly.

Laura nodded, “Don’t worry about it. It’s been a stressful day for us both, _particularly you._ I just wish…” she sighed, “I just wish you’d talk to me…”

Carmilla stared at her, she didn’t say anything.

Laura took a step or two closer, “How’d you manage to keep it together today? You were so calm.”

Carmilla shrugged, shaking her head, “I um… I thought about you…”

“About me?” Laura wasn’t following.

“Yeah, I just…thought about you, about getting out of there and seeing you,” Carmilla’s lips twitched upward, she rubbed a hand at the back of her neck. “If you’d have gotten there any earlier, its likely you’d have been in that room too and I was glad you weren’t.”

Laura had never seen Carmilla blush but this was probably the closest she was going to get. She actually had the audacity to look nervous about what she’d just said, it was the cutest thing Laura had ever seen.

Laura smiled and closed the distance between them, she brought her hands up to cup her partners face, her thumb lightly stroking her cheek bone. She let her brow slowly come in contact with Carmilla’s and her eyes fell closed. She heard her partners sigh and could almost feel the tension leaving her body.

“You’re all dusty, you need a shower,” Laura smiled, at this point that was probably the only thing stopping her from her just pushing Carmilla backwards onto the bed and climbing on top of her.

She felt Carmilla’s silent laugh and opened her eyes. Carmilla’s eyes were closed, she looked content. She slowly brought her hands up to Laura’s waist. She opened her eyes and breathed out, “I wouldn’t mind if it were you…”

“Wouldn’t mind what?” Laura smiled, raising a brow as she moved her head away an inch or two.

She felt Carmilla’s fingers twitch on her waist, she didn’t respond to her question but her eyes watched fixated as Laura’s tongue brushed over her lower lip.

Carmilla sucked in a breath and Laura tipped her chin up, their noses barely brushed.

“Go… shower,” Laura whispered, she willed herself to move away, “Don’t worry, I’ll still be here when you get out.”

Laura didn’t realize how suggestive that was going to sound until the words had already left her mouth.

They gazed at each other and Carmilla smiled, she took a step back. “I’ll be right back,” she looked as though she didn’t really want to move but then she nodded and abruptly turned for the bathroom. 

*

Carmilla stepped out of the bathroom in her grey pyjama pants and ripped black t-shirt, she glanced around for her partner ready to greet her with a smile but… the motel room was empty.

“Laura?” She mumbled but no response came. She peaked around the side of the beds but her partner was nowhere to be seen.

She frowned and opened the door, the cold hit her wet hair and she shivered, she glanced up and down the walkway but Laura was wasn’t there.

_Had Laura decided to check to see if she could get her own room?_

Carmilla released a breath and let the door fall closed, she slowly turned to face the room. _Well this was going to be immensely awkward when they saw each other again_. She leaned back against the door, her eyes landing on what appeared to be a hand written note, her partners handwriting, she grabbed it up.

_~~I haven’t gone anywhere! Well, I have gone somewhere but~~ _

_I’ll be right back. I was hungry so I went to get dinner. Back in a mo! Laura x_

Carmilla breathed a sigh of relief, she glanced at the door and then sat on her bed, grabbing her book up off the night stand.

But she didn’t begin to read, she picked a piece of lint off her shirt and chewed on her lower lip. She was nervous for her partners return, she’d stayed in the bathroom longer than necessary because she was nervous about what would happen when she came out.

She glanced at the door again.

She hadn’t been in a good place recently, she thought she would be fine with what Laura wanted, they’d just go back to how things were. And she was fine… for about a day and then she struggled, she struggled a lot. She missed Laura so much. Carmilla had always had her job, it was the most important thing to her and then Laura was suddenly the only thing that mattered. But she couldn’t have Laura like she wanted, no matter how much she wanted it, Laura wasn’t hers. She still saw her every day which was heart-breaking because she couldn’t just reach out and touch her or kiss her or tell her how beautiful she looked or how strong she was.

And she felt the loss, even though Laura was still in her life. She couldn’t sleep at night and her nightmares started to increase and everything was starting to get too much.

Carmilla had mistakenly tried to distance herself, thinking that it might help but Laura seemed to have turned to Lawrence, they‘d started having lunches together and laughing in the office and enjoying each other’s company. And Carmilla hated it so much because Laura didn’t appear to be effected at all. So she distanced herself further and she was angry at her partner and she still wasn’t sleeping and everything was overwhelming.

She couldn’t explain any of this to Laura because she was so desperately in love with her and Laura didn’t feel the same. She was so scared she might let it slip… They were meant to be partners, partners and nothing more but Carmilla just couldn’t get Laura off her mind. There was nothing, _absolutely nothing_ , if she didn’t have Laura…

She was startled when the door flew open and Laura stumbled into the room, _“God, I’m drenched! It just started raining like it’s the end of days out there!”_

There was a flash of lighting as Laura kicked the door closed and Carmilla couldn’t help but smile.

Laura held up a pizza box triumphantly, “Mission to the pizza place complete… You do _want_ pizza, right?”

“Sure, Cupcake,” Carmilla nodded, she allowed herself to gaze at her partner for a few moments before she got up to join her at the small table.

“You said you would be here when I got out and you were gone,” Carmilla raised a brow, teasing her partner.

Laura’s face fell, “But… but I left a note, see… _note,”_ she searched around for it under the pizza box and Carmilla breathed out a small laugh.

Laura was suspiciously energetic, as if she’d just consumed several coffees, this meant she was apprehensive.

“Are you okay?” Laura asked.

Carmilla nodded, taking a bite of her pizza slice. 

Laura breathed a sigh, “I'm not... Today, when I heard… when I heard that someone was shot, I couldn’t stop thinking that it was _you_ and I couldn’t even comprehend it, I couldn’t _breathe_ , Carm, when I thought that something might have happened to you. But when I saw you, and you were okay, I was _so_ relieved. Carm, if something _ever_ happened to you…”

“Don’t dwell on it anymore, Cupcake. I’m right here,” Carmilla said, staring at her until she met her gaze and then she smiled.

“You broke your promise…” Laura said with a firm edge to her voice. “You promised me you wouldn’t get yourself into any more trouble.”

Carmilla nodded, “I did but that wasn’t exactly my fault today.”

“I swear, Carm… you’re going to be the death of me,” Laura said quietly, shaking her head and grabbing another slice of pizza.

“Trust me, Hollis, I feel the same about you,” Carmilla said without a doubt.

“I’m not sure about that…” Laura whispered, she kept her gaze lowered.

“What does that mean?” Carmilla frowned.

Laura sighed, dropping her half eaten pizza slice back into the box. 

_“Carm… I-”_

Carmilla almost dropped her slice of pizza when an annoying ringing filled the room and Laura shot up from her chair.

“It’s my dad,” Laura mumbled, answering her phone.

“Hi dad…”

“I _was?_ _Oh my god!_ Carm, I was on the news!” Laura giggled. “Really?”

Carmilla smiled and rolled her eyes.

“ _No, I wasn’t being held hostage!_ Carm was. Karnstein was…” Laura began walking up and down the motel room.

“No, she’s fine, she’s right here.” Laura gestured to her even though her father couldn’t see it.

Carmilla got up and helped herself to a glass of water. She sat on the bed and watched her partner slowly get more and more irritated by her father.

“Look, no, it’s just- _oh my god, Dad, I said I’m fine_!”

“Dad, I gotta go. I really gotta go. Yes, I will… _bye.”_

Laura groaned and sat down on the side of the bed beside her, turning her phone over and over in her hands. “So, that was my dad,” she said unenthusiastically .

Carmilla placed a hand on Laura’s arm, “He worries about you and he’s quite right to. It’s a dangerous job.”

“I can’t help but feel that he still doesn’t think I’m cut out for this,” Laura deflated a little.

“Cupcake, come here,” Carmilla opened her arm, implying Laura should lay with her.

Laura kicked off her shoes, and climbed over her to land in the middle of the bed where she rested her head on Carmilla’s chest and wrapped an arm around her waist. Carmilla wrapped an arm around Laura’s shoulders and absentmindedly fiddled with a button on Laura’s shirt.

“You _know_ you’re a good agent, we just seem to have a lot of bad luck…” Carmilla said quietly, “I think we need a vacation.”

Laura smiled her eyes closed, _“Hmm_ , I wish.”

“Are you okay, Carm?” Laura asked again.

She nodded, dropping a kiss on the top of Laura’s head but she began to speak before she could stop herself.

“I’ve been struggling, Laura…”

Laura opened her eyes quickly and looked up at her, “With work?”

She shook her head, “Not just work… I’ve _really_ missed you.”

“Carm, I… haven’t gone anywhere,” Laura whispered.

“No, I guess not but I felt the loss anyway.”

 _“Carm…”_ Laura moved up her body, bumping Carmilla’s cheek with her nose.

“I’ve missed you _so much,_ Carm, I have and I thought… I thought, I don’t know, maybe I’d done something wrong or you just didn’t-” Laura’s breath washed over her face.

“Of course you haven’t done anything wrong,” Carmilla interrupted, she pushed Laura’s hair away from her face. “I’m just… not very good at this, Laura. I can profile a serial killer, I can talk down a murderer, I can solve unsolvable cases but I couldn’t figure you out.”

“But then I realised something… it wasn’t _you_ that I couldn’t figure out, it was _me._ Hollis, you drive me crazy and I couldn’t understand what I was feeling.” Laura’s arm tightened around her waist.

“You drive me crazy too,” Laura whispered.

Carmilla placed a kiss on her brow.

“Carm, will you promise that if you’re struggling, you’ll tell me? Because I see it happening but you won’t talk to me. I want to help, I want to be there for you.”

Carmilla closed her eyes, “You are helping, this is all I need.”


	14. The Christmas Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X- Files - The Ghosts that Stole Christmas

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

Headquarters was quieter than usual, though this did not seem to deter the joyful atmosphere which seemed to have settled amongst the agents, it was Christmas Eve after all.

A tree had appeared next to the crime board a few days before, which Laura had helped decorate with Kirsch and Danny and a few other agents in their office. Agent Karnstein hadn’t been so keen, she’d sipped her coffee and quietly read a report. Someone, Laura suspected was Agent Kirsch, had hung a branch of mistletoe from the top of the office door frame. As a result of this, Laura had been kissed on the cheek by Danny, had kissed Kirsch on the cheek twice and had one awkward encounter with Agent Karnstein. They had walked into the office together and had been quietly arguing over an error in a report when Agent Kirsch grabbed their attention and pointed toward the mistletoe which hung above their heads. It took Agent Karnstein a moment or two to work out exactly what Kirsch was pointing at. Laura could feel her face heating up as Agent Karnstein met her gaze with a blink of realization. Neither of them moved for a what felt like minutes but must have only been a few seconds until the file Laura was holding slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor, paperwork spilling out, the mistletoe was soon forgotten.

It was almost 6pm and Laura should have been on the road at least an hour ago but something or _someone_ to be more accurate, was holding her back. Everyone else in the office had already gone home for the holidays, the building was spookily quiet. Her eyes flickered across to her partner who appeared to be contently looking over a file, with no apparent qualms about the time or what day it was.

_She should just leave… right? Her dad was expecting her and it would take close to three hours to reach him by car and she expected traffic would be an issue._

They had briefly talked about Christmas plans, Laura had told Carmilla she would be spending Christmas day with her father. When Laura had asked Carmilla what her Christmas plans were, she had merely shrugged and said something vague about maybe visiting her mother.

Laura slowly began to pack her things, trying to make her imminent departure clear. She turned off her computer, her eyes flickering to her partner every few seconds. Agent Karnstein didn’t seem notice or appear to be preparing to leave the office at all.

Laura cleared her throat, “Um.. so, I should probably get going.”

Agent Karnstein glanced up from her file with a nod, “Of course. Have a good Christmas, Hollis. My regards to your father.” 

Laura’s brow furrowed as Agent Karnstein’s eyes returned to her file, but Laura didn’t move to leave, she didn’t move a muscle, she dropped her coat onto her desk. 

“Are you not… visiting your mother? You mentioned something…” Laura regarded her questionably.

Agent Karnstein merely shrugged and mumbled, “Maybe." 

“Maybe,” Laura repeated in a whisper. _What was so damn interesting about that file?_ “What is that you’re looking at? That’s not a new case is it?”

“Not really a _new_ case, more of a cold case. Something I’ve been aware of for a while,” Karnstein glanced up at her for only a moment.

“What is it? Don’t work on Christmas please,” Laura’s sighed, took two steps closer and leaned on the edge of her desk.

“A cursed house…” Karnstein glanced up from her file with a hint of a smile, “…Or so the story goes.”

“What do you mean?”

“1501 Larkspur lane. There’s a manor house in Maryland, not too far from here. It sits currently unoccupied and every couple that's ever lived there… have met a _tragic end.”_ Karnstein spoke as if she were telling an entertaining creepy story, “Four double murders in the last 60 years… _all on Christmas Eve.”_

Laura blinked at her for a moment before responding, “Someone’s killing these people…?”

 _“That…_ we do not know,” Karnstein smiled, lowering the file onto her lap, “Allow me to tell you the story.”

“The year was 1917, it was a time of dark, dark despair. War raged across Europe while here at home, a deadly strain of the flu virus attacked young and old alike. And when all hope was lost, Arthur and Edith Spender who lived in the house on Larkspur Lane formed a _lovers pact._ They were both driven mad by a tragic fear of separation, so, Arthur shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself so that they could spend eternity together and not spend one precious Christmas apart.” Agent Karnstein looked particularly proud of herself as she finished her tale.

“Great story, Karnstein,” Laura smiled. “Now, how about you put that file away and go home? It’s past six.”

 _“Actually,_ I think I might go and check this place out, it _is_ Christmas Eve after all,” Karnstein closed her file with a snap and stood, pulling on her long coat.

 _“No,”_ Laura couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Don’t even think about it, Karnstein. Why would you do that?”

“Purely out of interest,” Karnstein shrugged, picking up the file.

“Okay so, you’re going to some creepy manor house on Christmas eve night to take a look around when everyone who’s ever lived there has been murdered on Christmas eve… I don’t think so.” Laura shook her head. 

“Merry Christmas, Hollis,” Agent Karnstein gave her a smile and a nod before heading toward the exit.

 _“No, wait,”_ Laura tried to shrug on her coat and grab her bag at the same time.

Karnstein turned back to look at her as she made it to the door, “Isn’t your dad expecting you?” She said before she disappeared.

Laura paused, her dad was expecting her… she’d almost forgotten.

She pulled on her coat and quickly grabbed her belongings. She couldn’t see her partner in the corridor, she couldn’t see her waiting at the elevator, she couldn’t see her car when she made it to the parking floor and the lot was almost empty.

Laura sighed as she got into her car, she spoke aloud to herself, gently thumping her brow against the steering wheel, “God help me, what am I doing?”

*

1501 Larkspur lane, Maryland

The place wasn’t exactly hard to find, it stuck out like a sore thumb. The manor was dark and grey and looked exactly like something you’d see in a horror film. Laura blinked as she stared up at it from her car, there seemed to be an eerie fog lingering around the place and the surrounding vegetation was overgrown and out of control.

Her car came to a halt and she jumped out when she saw Agent Karnstein ascending the steps to the manor house. 

_“No, no, no!_ Don’t even _think_ about going in there, Karnstein. Look at this place, _it’s… it's creepy!”_ Laura yelled, feeling foolish for not being able to think up anything better to say in the moment as she ran toward the house.

Karnstein turned to glance at her with what may have been a look of surprise, which quickly became a smirk, “Scared, Hollis?”

Laura didn’t respond, she watched Agent Karnstein ascend the rest of the broken steps before she rolled her eyes and ran up the steps after her.

“How do you even expect to get-” Laura never had a chance to finish her question as the doors creaked open before their eyes and she swallowed.

Karnstein blinked and turned to look at her, her lips curving into a smile. “Maybe the place is haunted.”

And without even a hint of reluctance, Agent Karnstein pulled the doors a little wider and stepped inside. 

_What the hell is happening? I’m not doing this. I’m not doing it… I’m not going in there…_

_“Karnstein!”_ Laura whisper yelled as she stepped over the threshold.

It was dark, Agent Karnstein’s flashlight was suddenly shining in Laura’s direction, blinding her momentarily.

“Yes?”

Laura glanced around the foyer, the floor was polished wood, the stairs curved upward and out of sight. A grandfather clock was ticking loudly behind Agent Karnstein. The furniture in the room to the right was covered in white sheets.

A sudden crash of thunder overhead was so loud they were both startled.

“We have to leave _now,”_ Laura mumbled, grabbing Agent Karnstein’s forearm and tugging.

Another crash but this time it wasn’t thunder, it was the doors to the house slamming closed behind them. Laura turned, moving quickly back over to the doors and trying to pull them open. 

“I _really_ have to go, I can’t be here. Why won’t the _damn doors open!?”_ Laura yelled, pulling harshly at the circular handles and getting nowhere.

 _“Shhh!_ I think I hear someone walking around upstairs,” Agent Karnstein said, placing a hand on Laura’s shoulder.

Laura shrugged her hand away and turned to face her partner, “Will you _stop that_ and help me with the doors?”

Karnstein turned, shining her flashlight up the stairs and took a tentative step up.

“What are you doing?” Laura asked irritably.

“Do you _hear_ that?” Agent Karnstein took a few more steps up the stairs.

Laura sighed and ran a hand through her hair, “Carm, can we _please_ go?”

“Hollis, I didn’t ask you to come,” Karnstein smirked over her shoulder before continuing up the stairs. 

“But you knew I would!”

Laura heard it this time, there was a noise upstairs, a creaking… she chewed her lip, stuck between following her partner or trying to find another way out.

There was another crash of thunder and lightning followed this time, lighting up the house around them. From the corner of Laura’s eye, she could have sworn she saw a figure in the living room to her right but when she looked, no one was there. Her heart hammered against her chest and she sucked in some quick breathes.

Laura pulled her own flashlight as she watched Agent Karnstein disappear up the stairs. She glanced around suspiciously before she began to ascend the stairs as well.

Spiders webs and dust coated the stair rail, Laura avoided touching anything, the stairs creaked under her feet, she eventually found her partner just reaching the top of the stairs.

“What are you doing, Carm? It’s Christmas eve,” Laura groaned quietly.

“Are you scared?” Karnstein asked, her flashlight pointing toward a door which was slightly ajar. 

_“Yes,”_ Laura admitted, glancing back over her shoulder warily and moving ahead of her partner, not wanting to be at the back. She had a sudden feeling she might be thrown down the stairs by unseen hands at any moment.

Karnstein nodded her head in the direction of the open door ahead and Laura stared at her for a moment before shaking her head and deciding at this point to just go for it.

Finding the courage from somewhere, she walked quickly toward the door and pushed it open, peering inside.

It was a library, books filled every wall in the room all the way to the high ceilings. There were lamps shining in the corners in little reading nooks and a large chandelier hung from the ceiling. There were quaint leather chairs which didn’t look very comfy facing a fireplace which had smoke rising from it.

“Carm…” Laura mumbled, she turned back to face her partner, “Did it occur to you that someone might be _living_ in this house?”

Agent Karnstein shook her head, brow furrowing as she walked up next to her, _“No._ No one lives here.”

“But when we were outside, there was not a light on… but look at this,” Laura stepped aside to allow her partner to walk into the room.

“And did you notice the clock downstairs is keeping perfect time? And look the fireplace, it was recently lit, it’s just gone out…” Laura said, pointing her flashlight, which she didn’t really need any more, toward the orangey coals.

Thunder sounded again, followed by lightning and they were both startled, knocking into each other. 

“There’s clearly someone living here. Can we leave now?” Laura whispered, glancing down and realising she had unconsciously grabbed her partners hand.

Karnstein nodded and they turned for the door. Laura grabbed it and they hurried through together and then she paused, she frowned in confusion. Agent Karnstein bumped into her.

“What in the-”

Laura narrowed her eyes as she glanced around, she had been expecting to walk straight back out into the hallway at the top of the stairs but found herself in the exact same library.

 _“What….”_ Karnstein frowned and turned around, Laura followed.

Same room.

Laura's eyes widened and she turned, walking back through the door and back into the same library. They shared a moment of eye contact and then Laura turned walked across the room to a second door and walked straight through… back into the same library.

“Carm… _What the hell is going on?!”_ Laura yelled, turning back to find her partner but as she did so the door blew closed. She grabbed the handle trying to pull it open but it would not budge.

 _“Carm?”_ She yelled, banging her fist against the door.

She received no response.

_“Carm?!”_

_“Carm?!_ _Can you hear me?”_

* 

_“Hollis?! Hollis! Open the door! Open the door!”_ Carmilla banged on the door but received no response from her partner and the damn thing wouldn’t open.

They were separated.

Carmilla glanced around the library, tapping the gun at her side absentmindedly before remembering she had it. She withdrew her gun and turned, shooting the lock on the door twice. It echoed loudly around the room. She grabbed the handle and pushed her shoulder against the door, it still wouldn’t not budge, not even an inch. She fell against it with a sigh and turned to face the room.

Only to come face to face with a man, an older man. The skin on his face sagged with age, he was wearing a blue fisherman’s hat with a large rim which sat low on his head near his eyes. He was also wearing a comfy looking thick buttoned up cardigan and on his feet, slippers.

_“Who the hell are you?”_ Carmilla asked quickly, scared but trying not to show it. 

“Isn’t that the question should be asking you? You are in _my_ house…” The old man croaked.

“This isn’t your house, no one lives here,” Carmilla said, watching him cautiously as she moved away from the door and walked around him into the room.

“Hello? I live here,” He held up a hand.

“Are you playing tricks on me? Where’s my partner gone?” Carmilla said, waving her gun around.

“Who?”

“My _partner_ , she’s in this house somewhere.”

“You gonna point that gun somewhere else?” the older man asked calmly.

Carmilla dropped the gun to her side and she swallowed, looking toward the door and back at him.

“Who are you?” She asked, pulling her ID from within her jacket.

“My name is Arthur." 

Carmilla stopped and blinked at him, “Arthur as in…. Arthur _Spender?”_

“That’s me,” he smiled.

“No, he died in 1917. I know the story,” she breathed heavily, holding up her ID. “I’m an FBI agent, I was… investigating a case.”

“Really? I thought you were a ghost hunter,” Arthur smiled.

“Ghost hunter?” Carmilla shook her head vigorously, “No… and you’re _not_ a ghost."

*

_“Carm?”_

Laura groaned and banged her fist a few more times on the door before giving up and turning around, she’d need to find another way out. She’d try her luck at the window.

When she opened her eyes, in front of the fireplace stood a woman.

Laura screamed like she had never screamed before.

It was an older woman, dressed in a long white robe, her curly hair hung loosely in a bun.

The older woman screamed back.

Laura frantically tried to pull her gun from its holster but she was shaking so badly she could hardly get a grip on it.

 _“I'm a federal agent and I'm armed!”_ Laura yelled.

“You're what?” The older woman asked, taking a few steps closer, holding her robe closed.

Laura finally pulled her gun free, _“I said I’m armed!”_

“You're a federal agent?” The older woman looked almost impressed.

“Please, I'm on edge. Don't come any closer. My name is Special Agent Laura Hollis…” Laura didn’t take her eyes off the woman as she walked around her into the room.

“Oh, I thought you were a ghost,” the older woman appeared to sigh in relief.

“I can assure you that I am not. I got stuck in this room, I need to find my partner.”

“Oh, the lady you were with downstairs,” the older lady smiled.

“You've seen her?”

“Yes, with you in the foyer. I thought she was a ghost, too. I sleepwalk sometimes you see. I thought maybe I'd dreamed it but then here you were again.”

Laura stared at her for a moment, before taking a deep breath, “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.”

The older lady laughed quietly **,** “Dear, you look like you’ve seen a ghost... There are ghosts in this house, you know.” She nodded.

Laura blinked and frowned, she raised her gun again, “Who are you?”

“Edith. I live here,” she frowned at Laura’s weapon.

“Where's my partner?” Laura glanced back toward the door.

“Why are you pointing that gun at me?”

“There’s something _strange_ going on… and my partner is missing-”

“I think the ghosts have been playing tricks on you,” Edith smiled and nodded her head, keeping her dressing gown closed tightly around herself.

“I don’t believe in ghosts…” Laura narrowed her eyes, her heart beating hard.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“It's my partner. She-”

“She believes in ghosts?”

“No, I don’t know. I don’t _think_ so-” Laura frowned. “She said there was a- a case…”

“What a shame. You must have an awful small life. Spending your Christmas Eve running around this house with her.”

Laura scowled, gripping her gun harder, “You don’t know me. Don't come any closer.”

Edith took a step closer, “I can see it in your face... the conflicted yearnings you feel...”

 _“What?”_ Laura took a step back, almost tripping a fold in the rug.

“Maybe you repress the truth about why you're really here, pretending it's out of duty or loyalty, unable to admit your little secret.”

“What _secret?_ What are you talking about?” Laura glared at her, she was sweating.

“Love.”

_“What? You- You don’t know me! You don't know anything!”_

“But it’s why you came here, right?”

The door suddenly opened and an older man walked in, Laura pointed her gun at him.

“Hold it right there! Both of you over here, where I can see you!” Laura urged them into the room near the fireplace.

“ _Hands in the air! Now! Who the hell are you?”_ Laura was panicking, waving her gun between the two of them as they both raised their hands.

“We have rights you know,” the older man muttered.

Laura blinked, with her hands in the air, Edith’s robe had fallen open to reveal her white nightdress, covered in blood.

“What in the-”

“I can explain-” the older man said.

Laura looked toward him and he very slowly pulled off his hat, revealing a hole, the size a bullet in the side of his head.

 _“Oh,”_ Laura felt warm, too warm. Her vision began to blur, she wobbled on her feet, she could feel herself slipping and then all went black.

*

Carmilla banged her shoulder against the door repeatedly, so hard she knew it would leave a large bruise but she didn’t relent.

“Are you Agent Karnstein?”

She paused at the sound of the voice, turning to face an older lady in a white robe who had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room.

“And you are? Let me guess, _Edith,”_ Carmilla glared at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to break down the door,” Karnstein responded calmly, giving it one last kick before she gave up and faced the older lady.

“You know I was young and beautiful once just like you and your partner,” Edith said pensively.

“Who are you really?” Carmilla asked, taking a step toward her. “Because you’re not Edith and Arthur, I know that.”

“I’m Edith and my husband is Arthur, I believe you’ve met him?” Edith relaxed into one of the chairs next to the fireplace.

“Are you telling me that you are a ghost?” Carmilla raised a suspicious brow. 

Edith looked gloomy as she stared at her, “I know why you came here but can I change your mind?”

“Change my mind about what?” Carmilla took a few steps closer.

“You and your partner… this lovers pact thing, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be if I’m honest.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t come here to spend all of eternity together?”

 _“No,”_ Carmilla frowned, “Of course not.”

“Because you're lonely and filled with despair and Christmas melancholy?”

 _“No._ ”

Edith sighed, “Oh… maybe it was just your partner then.”

“What about her?” Carmilla stared intently at Edith as she tucked her legs under herself on her chair, unperturbed.

“Was this her idea? Maybe you two should have discussed your real feelings before you came out here.”

_“What?”_

“A murder-suicide… it’s all about trust.” Edith opened her robe to reveal her blood soaked nightdress.

Carmilla took an abrupt step back, “Okay…” she breathed heavily, “Are you're trying to insinuate that my partner is going to shoot me or something? Because Hollis is not going to shoot me.”

“Suit yourself, but if you shoot first, for her, the rest is an act of faith,” Edith rose from the chair and walked toward her.

“I wouldn't shoot her.” Carmilla glared, taking a step back.

“Maybe she shoots herself.”

“I wouldn’t let her do that.”

“We both know why you came here… someone has to do it…” Edith held up a gun.

 _“Hey,”_ Carmilla put her hand to her side, her gun was missing.

“Someone has do it,” Edith winked, disappearing before Carmilla’s eyes, the gun falling and landing in her hand.

*

Laura blinked open her eyes, it took her a few long seconds to realise exactly where she was, she stood quickly on wobbly legs, grabbing her gun from the ground near her feet.

She ran to the door, puling at the handle with shaking hands.

_“Carm! Carrrm!”_

“I locked it,” Laura turned fast, raising her gun. “…For your protection.”

“Stay away from me! _Help me,_ help me get out of here,” Laura said, moving away from the door a few steps and gesturing for Arthur to open the door.

“Keep the gun out, you may have to defend yourself against that partner of yours,” Arthur said solemnly.

“Where is she? What have you done with her?”

_This was madness, this wasn’t really happening. This couldn’t be happening…_

“Do you have any idea why she brought you to this house? Did she mention anything to you about a _lovers pact?”_ Arthur smiled.

 _“What?!_ This is all just a really bad dream that I’m about to wake up from any second.” Laura rubbed at her eyes, “…Any second.”

The door banged and Laura stumbled away from it, tumbling to the floor.

_“Hollis?”_

She scrambled to her feet, she’d never felt relief like it, she ran over the door. She pulled at the handle, the door remained locked.

“ _Carm!”_ She yelled.

“Do you know how lonely she is? What she’s really capable of?” Arthur came closer.

_“Open the door!”_ Laura pointed her gun at him.

"I’ve seen it happen to many times in this house…"

_“Open it now!”_

“Okay, I tried to warn you…” Arthur calmly shook his head and reached into his pocket, pulling out a key.

Laura moved aside as Arthur approached and slowly unlocked the door.

“Where’s Hollis?” Agent Karnstein walked into the room, her gun raised. 

Laura smiled and released a breath, taking a step toward her, only to pause when she saw the manic look on her partners face.

And then her gun fired.

A mirror behind the Laura’s head smashed and she ducked down.

_“Carm, what the hell are you doing?!”_

“There's no getting out of here, Hollis. This is the only way,” She heard the gun firing again and she dived behind a chair.

Laura scrambled quickly back to her feet, turning to face her partner.

 _“Karnstein,”_ Laura pointed her gun at her partner, “Don't come any closer, you're scaring me. Put the gun down!”

“Are you going to shoot me, Hollis?!” Carmilla laughed madly.

“I'm _not_ going to shoot you, Carm! I don't _want_ to shoot you!” Laura's hand was shaking violently.

“It's me or you... You or me. One of us has to do it.”

“Carm, look... neither of us has to do anything. We can get-”

Laura heard the gun fire and felt the impact but she didn’t feel pain right away, it took a moment before she was really able to comprehend what had just happened and then the pain started to come. She looked down at her white shirt and saw her blood slowly staining it red. She fell to the floor, staring up at her partner who was taking deep breathes, her lower lip wobbling.

“Merry Christmas, Hollis,” Karnstein said sorrowfully before raising the gun to her own head.

Laura had forgotten that Arthur was there but when it looked like Karnstein was about to pull the trigger, he appeared behind her, grabbing her gun and forcing her arm down. There was some yelling and what sounded like a commotion but Laura couldn’t see. She couldn’t see anything. 

*

Carmilla pushed and kicked at the door desperately again and again.

She pushed her shoulder hard up against the door and suddenly as if it was never there, she fell right through into the next room, she landed on the floor in a heap and groaned as she got to her feet. It was the library again… the exact same room, except this time her partner was lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood.

She ran over, falling to her knees, “ _Hollis! Can you hear me? Hollis!”_

“Carm,” Laura mumbled groggily, blinking open her eyes, “Is that you?”

“Laura, what the hell happened here?!” She didn’t know to do, she started to panic, her partner was dying. _“Laura!_ _Stay awake. What did you do?”_

“I didn’t believe it, Carm… I didn’t think you’d do it.” Laura sighed weakly.

“Didn’t believe what?” Carmilla urged.

“That you’d actually do it… that I would…”

Carmilla shook her head confused.

A gun shot sounded and she fell back, her hand landed on her stomach where she felt the impact and blood began to seep between her fingers.

"Laura..." she gasped.

“Merry Christmas, Carm,” Laura said, letting her head fall back against the floor and closing her eyes.

Carmilla lay on her back, pain radiating through her, she groaned, she didn't understand what was happening… trying to work out what to do next. Her partner had been shot… her partner had shot her… they were both dying…

*

Carmilla opened her eyes and glanced around to find that her partner was gone. She frowned, there wasn't even a pool of blood where her partner had been. The door nearby now sat wide open, leading back out into the hall at the top of the stairs again. Carmilla managed to drag herself into the hall and down the stairs, she slid down the remaining steps until she reached the bottom with a groan, her eyes followed a trail of blood in the foyer and she found Laura dragging herself toward the front door.

 _“Laura…”_ she groaned, taking a few deep painful breathes.

“I’m not gonna make it, Carm,” Laura rolled onto her back and lifted her head, glancing across at her.

 _“Laura…”_ Carmilla mumbled again, she didn’t understand what had happened, what was happening…

“Are you afraid, Carm?” she whispered.

“Yes.” Carmilla rolled over with a groan, blood had soaked through the entire front of her shirt, she knew she wouldn’t last much longer.

“I can’t believe you shot me,” Carmilla grumbled.

“No, you shot me!” Laura coughed.

“No I didn’t, you shot me,” She lifted her head to look at her partner.

“I didn’t shoot you, you shot me,” Laura looked at her.

Carmilla blinked, she would never shot Laura...

She blinked, her hand feeling down her stomach to her wound, feeling for it but not feeling anything. She slowly sat up, the pain she had felt slowly receding. 

“It’s a trick…” she whispered.

“What?” Laura groaned.

“Laura… It’s- It’s all in your head, it’s not _real!”_ She smiled, slowly getting to her feet and feeling her stomach again, there was no wound.

She approached her partner, holding out a bloodied hand and Laura slowly got to her feet, “It’s not real, none of it was real…” Carmilla stared at her.

Laura felt for her own gunshot wound and glanced up at Carmilla in confusion.

Carmilla grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her toward the door and as they stepped out onto the steps outside, the blood which had soaked through their clothes disappeared and there they both stood as if none of it had happened. They glanced back at the house and then at each other. 

_Had that really just happened…?_

Laura ran down the steps and Carmilla followed after her. Without a word, they climbed into their separate cars and both drove away as quickly as they could.

*

Carmilla’s apartment, Georgetown, Washington, D.C

Carmilla stared at her coffee table as she sat on her couch, she ran a hand through her hair… _what had happened tonight? It was madness, unexplainable insanity. She was crazy, she’d lost it._

She swallowed, pulling out her phone when a knock sounded on her apartment door.

She jumped to her feet, she still absentmindedly felt her stomach for a gunshot wound but found none.

“Hey,” Laura said, quietly. She looked tired, Carmilla wasn’t surprised.

“Hey.”

“Can I come in?” Laura winced as if she didn’t quite know what she was doing.

Carmilla walked away from the door, leaving it open, “Aren’t you meant to be spending Christmas with your dad?”

“Carm… none of that really happened out there tonight, right? It was all in our heads?” Laura’s brow furrowed.

Carmilla sighed, “It must have been. I don’t understand-”

“I could never shoot you, Carm. Never.” Laura said, taking a step closer and staring up at her partner.

 _“I_ could never. _Would_ never, you know that, right?” Carmilla replied. “It was mesmerism or hypnotism or… I don’t know, something _weird_ happened out there.”

Laura nodded and wrapped her arms around Carmilla’s waist, “I‘m just really glad it’s over.”

“It wasn’t real,” Carmilla said, mostly to herself. “It wasn’t real.“

They hugged until Laura mumbled quietly. “I got you something.”

“Hmm?”

“I got you something for Christmas,” Laura pulled away from the hug with a smile and a blush, reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a wrapped present.

Carmilla smiled, “I got you something too…” She turned and plucked up a wrapped gift off her desk.

Laura peered out of the window over her partners shoulder.

“Carm… _look.”_

Heavy snow had started to fall outside and even though it must have started only moments ago, a thin blanket of white was already coating the street below.

“Merry Christmas, Carm.”

“Merry Christmas, Hollis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably not quite what everyone was expecting, this is one off spookiness. I almost just cut this chapter because it's complete madness but I kinda liked it too much not to share and it's one my favourite episodes of the x files.  
> We will return to our usual scheduled programming of kidnapping and murder cases next week.


	15. The Way I Feel For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X files - Unruhe (S4)  
> And I may have stole some of Scully's bathroom speech from The Rain King (S6) because that's just perfect.

Airport, Michigan

Laura held back a smile as she made eye contact with her partner through the window before she climbed into the car next to her. She gave an over-exasperated sigh, “ _So_ , you call me last night, informing me that you’re in _Michigan_ and that I should get here as soon as possible except you fail to tell me _why._ _But,_ because I’m the such a great partner, I drop everything and get on the next available flight…”

Karnstein smiled and shook her head as she started the car and drove on.

“Are you going to tell me _why_ I’m in Michigan? _Oh wait,_ don’t tell me…” Laura smiled playfully, “Beyoncé is playing here tonight and you got us both tickets?” 

Karnstein glanced across at her amused and then raised a brow, “There’s a file on the back seat.”

Laura deflated dramatically and reached into the back “And when did you get here?”

“Yesterday,” Karnstein focused on the road ahead.

“You need to take a weekend off every once in a while, Carm.” Laura grasped the file and dropped it into her lap.

“I needed to see the crime scene. I didn’t wanna bother you with it in case it wasn’t worth our time.”

Laura flipped open the file, her eyes landing on crime scene photos.

“It’s a potential missing persons case, her name is Mary Hansen, she’s been missing for two days. Her boyfriend was found dead in his car _also_ two days ago.”

“Have the local police been contacted by this woman's abductor? No demand for ransom?” Laura glanced up at her partner.

“No.” Karnstein shook her head.

“How do we know Mary Hansen didn’t just murder her boyfriend and disappear?”

“The police believe there was a struggle, that Miss Hansen had been dragged from the car. The car was found in a backstreet, next to a store that Miss Hansen had visited. The theory is that someone killed her boyfriend and kidnapped her.”

“Any leads?”

“No, there’s no hair and fibre evidence either, apparently the rain washed it all away. The autopsy did come back on the dead boyfriend this morning though. It's a puncture wound through the left eardrum and into the brain, possibly from a long needle.”

 _“What?”_ Laura grimaced, glancing up from the photos, she let her head lull against the head rest with a groan, “You know, I had this little niggling feeling this morning that I should just stay in bed… and now I wish I had.”

“You don’t wanna be here with me?” Agent Karnstein’s lower lip stuck out in a pout.

Laura smiled and rolled her eyes, “Don’t try and guilt trip me, Karnstein, that’s not going to work.”

_Okay, maybe it worked a little…_

She reached over and gently pushed Agent Karnstein’s shoulder, “I’m kidding, Carm.”

Karnstein raised a brow, playing offended, “I’m not stopping you, Hollis. If you have somewhere else to be. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your regular lunch date with Agent Lawrence.”

Laura’s mouth dropped open, lost for words for a moment. _Where had that come from?_ “ _Woah,_ what?” 

“You heard me.”

 _“Lunch date?_ Carm, that’s… _not_ what they are. I’m… I’m not interested in Danny Lawrence, at least not in _that_ way. Did you… is that what you thought it was?”

Karnstein shrugged as she stared at the road ahead, this conversation had suddenly taken on a serious edge, “Well, I mean, you broke things off between us and started spending a lot of time with Agent Orange, it wasn’t exactly an unreasonable assumption to make.”

 _“What?_ Wait a sec, what do you mean _I_ broke things off between us? _When?”_ Laura frowned in her direction, snapping the file in her lap closed.

“Hollis, the day we came back to work after my suspension, in the archive room, you broke things off.”

 _“_ No, I didn’t. It was _you_ that ended it, in the car that night when we got back from that abduction case in Maryland. It was you, you said something about… unnecessary distractions.”

Karnstein blinked in her direction, “Hollis, are you out of your mind? _Why_ would I do that? You ended things, trust me, I remember it clear as day. You said, things hadn’t changed and because we were still partners, we should just go back to how things were before.”

“No, I _never said that_ , I may have broached _the subject_ because I thought _you_ _would_ but I _definitely_ didn’t break up with you.”

“I didn’t break up with you, Hollis. In the car, I…” Karnstein sighed, she ran a hand through her hair, “I thought it was what you wanted so I just… said what I thought you wanted to hear.”

“So, you didn’t… want to end it?” Laura stared at her partner, she was suddenly finding it difficult to breathe.

Carmilla swallowed and licked her lower lip, she stared hard at the road ahead, “Not particularly, no.”

Laura blinked and dropped her gaze to her knees, “Okay so, you didn’t want to… and _I also_ didn’t want to… and I didn’t break up with you and _you_ didn’t break up with me…” She glanced at her partner for only a second, Carmilla’s eye’s snapped back to the front.

Laura continued, “So… _theoretically-”_

Agent Karnstein interrupted her, “Looks like we’re going to have to pick up this conversation at another time, Hollis,” She pulled the car over. “This is the home of Mary Hansen, Detective Pruett is going to meet us here.”

“Detective Pruett, I presume,” Karnstein said, shaking his hand as they walked into the small house. Pruett was short but still an inch or two taller than Laura, he had dimples and short blondish hair.

Laura glanced around, Mary Hansen’s home was bare, it lacked a homely feel. It didn’t appear to be very clean either.

“Agent Karnstein?” Detective Pruett asked.

Karnstein nodded, “This is my partner, Agent Hollis, what can you tell us?”

“Well, it looks like we may have wasted your time, Agents. Mary Hansen may not have been abducted after all. It turns out my office is investigating a series of mail thefts, which we’ve traced to your missing persons case.” 

“She’s a postal employee?” Laura asked. 

“She was a mail sorter. A number of unsigned credit cards in transit through her branch never made it to their respective owners.” Detective Pruett held up a bag full of credit cards, “These were all found here in her home. Her recently deceased boyfriend was signing them by the looks of it. We ran a check on him, looks like fraud was his thing.”

“Was Mary aware of the investigation?” Karnstein folded her arms.

“Probably, most of the employees there are aware there’s an investigation ongoing, though she wasn’t the focus until after she turned up missing.”

“Do you think she faked her disappearance?” Laura wondered aloud.

“Looks that way to me,” Pruett shrugged.

“Why would she stab her boyfriend through the ear though?” Karnstein raised a brow.

“I’ve been asking myself the same question,” Pruett responded. 

“Is it okay if we take a look around?” Karnstein asked, glancing about.

“Go ahead.”

Karnstein dropped her hands into her pockets and took to wandering around the house with mild interest as she seemed to be considering something.

“What are you thinking? She killed her boyfriend and skipped town?” Laura asked once they reached the backyard.

Karnstein ran a hand through her hair, “I don’t know but I think we may have wasted our time here, Hollis. Um… Let’s just head back to D.C, it seems likely that there probably wasn’t a kidnapping here after all.” 

*

They had been back in the car for ten minutes, Agent Karnstein was driving back to her motel to check out and grab her belongings. Laura chewed her lip, glancing sideways at her partner quickly, she couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation they’d shared earlier and she wanted to broach the subject again but she didn’t know whether too. _Was now the right time? Why was Carmilla not bringing it up? It seemed kind of important, right? Was Carmilla thinking about it too? Was Carmilla happy with how things are now? She should ask her that… just do it._

“Carm, are you-”

Agent Karnstein’s phone starting to blare loudly and Laura was cut off. She bumped her head off the headrest and sighed as Karnstein reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone. She answered the call on speaker and passed it to Laura to hold.

“Karnstein.”

_“Hi, this is Detective Pruett, sorry to give you guys the run around. I’ve just been informed, Mary Hansen was picked up on the side of the road about thirty minutes ago. She’s been taken to Hill Crest hospital.”_

“Is she okay?” Karnstein pulled the car over and stared down at the phone.

“I don’t know much myself. Apparently she was conscious but she seemed kind of out of it.”

“Hill Crest?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll be there as soon as possible.”

*

Hill Crest Hospital, Michigan

“Doctor Andrews?”

The doctor glanced up from the paperwork in her hand as they walked into Mary Hansen’s hospital room, “Yes, that’s me.”

“Were from the FBI, Agent’s Hollis and Karnstein.” Laura held up her ID. “We’re investigating this case. We are aware that Miss Hansen was picked up by the side of the road earlier today. What else can you tell us?”

Dr Andrews frowned sadly at the patient who appeared to be asleep.

“It’s…” She glanced at the patient again and gestured to the doorway.

Once they’d reached the hallway outside, Dr Andrews pushed her glasses further up her nose and started to talk. 

“We had no idea what was wrong with Miss Hansen when she was brought in. We ran a tox screen and that showed traces of anaesthetic in her system-” 

“Would that account for her condition?” Agent Karnstein asked.

“No…um, it’s, well…” Dr Andrews glanced down at her paperwork.

“Can I take a look? I’m a medical doctor,” Laura held out a hand.

Dr Andrews passed the documents and Laura skimmed over the data, “She had a PET scan,” she mumbled, turning the page.

Dr Andrews nodded.

Laura blinked and glanced back up at the doctor, _“Oh my God.”_

Dr Andrews nodded.

“What is it?” Karnstein looked between them.

“Well, looking at this…. It looks like Miss Hansen has been given what's called a transorbital lobotomy. It used to be known as an icepick lobotomy. It involves inserting a leucotome, like a _long needle_ through the eye socket and into the brain.”

She met Agent Karnstein’s gaze with a troubled look.

“So, we’re looking for a doctor?” Karnstein raised a brow.

“No… I mean, not judging by this…” Laura shook her head.

“Whoever did this to her, whatever they were trying to do, they did it wrong,” Dr Andrews said sadly. She glanced back over her shoulder into the patients room.

“So, someone abducted this woman, killed her boyfriend and then lobotomised her?” Agent Karnstein said, she seemed to be processing this, her hands dropping into her pockets.

“Yes…” Laura swallowed.

“Looks like we’ll be staying in town,” Karnstein said. She pulled out her phone as it started to ring.

“Agent Karnstein, it looks like there may have been a second abduction.”

*

Accountants office, Wests Business Park, Michigan

It was dark when they pulled up at the scene, there were a few officers lingering around outside. Agent Karnstein stood aside and allowed Laura walk ahead of her under some scaffolding around the front of the building. It appeared there may have been some building work ongoing.

Detective Pruett met them inside, “Her name is Alice Brandt, she’s 32, she’s an accountants assistant, that was her desk,” Pruett pointed across the office, “Her family confirmed she was meant to be working late here last night.”

“How do we know she’s been abducted? How do we know it’s the same abductor?” Laura glanced around the small office.

“Well as I said, Miss Brandt was an accountants assistant. The _accountant,_ Mr Daniel Roberts was found dead in his office this afternoon and… it looks like he was killed with the same instrument as Mary Hansen’s boyfriend.”

“Through the ear?” Karnstein asked, pointing toward her own.

Pruett nodded.

“Does Brandt have a connection to the first victim?” Laura asked.

“Apparently none, but the M.O. remains the same. I’d say-”

“The clock is running,” Agent Karnstein interrupted.

“Exactly.” Pruett sighed.

Twenty minutes later, Agent Karnstein leaned on the car door, she stared at the building as the accountants body was removed on a gurney.

“What are you thinking?” Laura asked, watching the partner closely.

“I’m thinking, whoever’s doing this, they’re very good. They’ve left behind no witnesses, no latent prints, no evidence, _nothing.”_

Laura nodded and sighed, she turned and leaned on the car next to her partner, “So, what’s the… _wait a minute_ …”

“What?” Karnstein glanced sideways at her.

“That sign…” A red sign stuck to the scaffolding on the side of the building read, _Design, Develop, Build._

“I’ve seen that sign somewhere before, _today_ even, I’ve seen it _today.”_

“So…?” Karnstein frowned in her direction. “Where are you…”

Laura ran around the car and pulled open the door, grabbing the file which lay on the dash from that morning. She walked back around to her partner and set the file on the hood of the car. Agent Karnstein shone her flashlight as Laura skimmed quickly through the crime scene photos she’d seen that morning.

 _“Here, look,_ Design, Develop, Build,” she held the photo up for Agent Karnstein to see. “It’s the same company working construction at both of these sites.” She pointed at the sign on the side of the building. “What if the kidnapper works in construction? What if he was working at both of these sites? He would have easily been able to pick out these women.”

Agent Karnstein raised a brow and regarded Laura for a moment, her lips curved into a smirk, “Hollis?”

“Yes?”

“Marry me.”

Laura giggled, a blush warming her face, “I don’t think that would solve this case.”

“Hollis, you’re amazing. Let’s talk to Detective Pruett.”

*

Sunrise Motel, Michigan

Agent Karnstein sat at the small table, intently examining the crime scene photos while Laura perched on the edge of the bed.

Laura didn’t have her own room, Karnstein still had hers from the previous night so there seemed to be an unspoken agreement that Laura would be staying in here tonight. She slipped off her shoes and jacket and unholstered her gun and watched her partner closely. She doubted the photos had any more clues to offer but Karnstein was thorough and had decided the photos were worth another look.

She’d rolled up the sleeves on her shirt and Laura thought that was probably her favourite Karnstein look. She chewed her lip as she regarded her partner, seeing her like this, she smiled as she was reminded of a particular night back when their partnership was new, when they were still getting to know one another. They’d been in a motel room very similar to the one they were in right now, they’d drunk beer and played silly games on Laura’s bed. It was a memorable night for Laura, it was the first time Laura had wanted to kiss her partner, her stomach had squirmed as Agent Karnstein smiled at her and Laura felt those same feelings now as Carmilla looked up and smiled.

“You okay there, Hollis? What’s put you in such a good mood?”

Laura found herself squirming under Carmilla’s gaze, her fingers fidgeting together. Her face warming as she continued to smile and tried to contain the sudden overwhelming emotions she was feeling toward her partner.

“You,” Laura whispered.

“Me?” She looked mildly surprised.

“Yeah, _you._ Just… being here with you, it makes me happy,” Laura admitted with a small shrug.

Carmilla’s smile got a little wider as they stared at each other and she sucked in a deep breath, _“Cupcake…”_ she breathed, she placed a hand on her chest and started to blink quickly.

Laura frowned, “Carm- Carm, are you… _crying?”_

Carmilla shook her head, cleared her throat and looked a little embarrassed, “No, I don’t cry.”

Carmilla never cried, never. Laura had never seen Agent Karnstein cry.

 _“Why?_ What’s wrong?” Laura felt a spike of panic, she stood and walked across to her partner quickly, knelt next to her chair and grasped her forearm.

Carmilla sucked in another deep breath, “Laura, I… make you happy?”

Laura stared up at her partner, a smile forming as she took her partners hand in both of hers, “More than anything,” she whispered.

Carmilla swallowed as a tear slipped down her cheek and she smiled.

“Lau-”

Laura closed her eyes and hung her head, her brow landing on Carmilla’s knee as her phone started to buzz loudly on the table. Carmilla almost jumped out of her seat, she wiped the tear away from her face and cleared her throat as if trying to mask her emotions, not that the person on the other end of the phone would be able to tell she had been crying.

“Detective Pruett,” Karnstein said, tapping the speaker option. “What have you got?”

 _“We're been running the construction company employees.”_ Pruett began.

“And?”

_“Eighteen workers overlapped on both job sites. We're checking records now, but so far nothing.”_

“What about day laborers?” Laura perked up with a question, she moved to stand next to the table.

_“I’ve spoken to a Mr Arnold Scanlon, he runs the construction company that worked the sites, he says that he doesn't hire workers off the books but that his foremen might occasionally hire a little cash-only day labor without his knowledge.”_

Karnstein nodded, “Do we know who that foreman is? The foreman working the job at Wests business park?”

_“Yes, his name is Gerry Gordon, according to Mr Scanlon the job at the Wests park site is pretty much finished so the construction crews have moved on already. Scanlon said Gordon is working at one of several other ongoing job sites in the area, he should be relatively easy to find.”_

“Send us the locations of the sites. We’ll find him tomorrow and see if he’s hired anybody suspicious off the books… thank you, Detective Pruett.”

Karnstein ended the call and ran a hand through her hair, “Things are looking up.”

Laura chewed her lower lip as she watched her partner closely, her heart beating faster as their eyes met.

“So…”

The tension in the room was so thick, Laura couldn’t breathe. She wondered what would have happened had that phone call not interrupted them.

Carmilla didn’t speak, she stared at Laura for a moment and then her gaze dropped and she began to busy herself. She toed off her shoes and unholstered her gun, Laura just watched her, she understood. Now that the moment had passed, Carmilla was still feeling very exposed after her unusual display of emotion and she was out of sorts now.

“In the car…” Laura whispered, Carmilla immediately glanced over at her, “We should talk… about that conversation we had in the car this morning.”

“Right, talk…” Carmilla’s gaze didn’t leave hers this time, she still looked vulnerable.

“You know, where we…” Laura suddenly felt the need to suck in a deep breath, “Where we both said that we still…”

“You know what…” Laura’s face hardened with determination as she closed the distance between them. She grabbed her partner’s face in her hands and did what she’d been aching to do for almost two months. The kiss was firm if not a little rough but Laura couldn’t help it, though she felt she was getting her point across. When Carmilla kissed her back, hands on Laura’s waist, she somehow felt both content and restless at the same time. The kiss was perfect and passionate and as sucked Carmilla’s lip between her teeth, running her tongue over it, Carmilla made an uncharacteristic noise and Laura couldn’t help but try and push herself closer.

In doing so, Carmilla stumbled back a step or two and Laura walked her backwards toward the bed. Losing her balance, Carmilla sat on the bed and Laura clambered on top of her without a seconds hesitation. Any second where she wasn’t kissing or touching her partner right now was a second wasted.

Laura hands couldn’t settle, she pulled at the buttons on Carmilla’s shirt with one hand and tugged at the hair on the back of her neck with the other.

Carmilla broke away from the kiss, sucking in some much needed breaths, “ _Fuck, Laura,_ ” she moaned and appeared to be stunned at what was happening as Laura sucked at her throat and collarbone. She was slowly becoming agitated as she tugged at her shirt buttons, giving up for a moment she pulled Carmilla’s white shirt free from her pants instead. 

Laura kissed her again, Carmilla’s hands slipped into her hair. Laura‘s hands disappeared under her shirt, scratching lightly at Carmilla’s abdomen before she began to tug on the clasp of her pants. 

Laura slipped her hand into her partners pants, her finger tips just skimming along the edge of her underwear and then she stopped, pulled away from the kiss in a moment of hesitation. She looked down at her partner, breathing heavily, she whispered, “Is this okay?”

Carmilla nodded quickly, grabbing Laura’s face and kissing her hungrily, groaning when Laura’s hand slid into her underwear and she finally touched her.

“Laura, Christ…” Carmilla pulled away from the kiss as her hips jumped involuntarily.

Laura dropped her brow onto Carmilla’s and whispered, “I’ve missed this _.”_

“You’re not the only one,” Carmilla groaned out, her hips rocking against Laura’s hand.

*

Construction site, Michigan

Carmilla walked up the steps into the old building, it looked like the right place. There was some obvious building work ongoing. The door was propped open so she took a few a steps inside, there was no one around. She glanced around the foyer, it looked like it may have been apartments at one time.

They had split up to look for Gordon, there was only two sites left he could potentially be working at, so Carmilla took one and Hollis took the other.

Carmilla’s lip’s curved up into a small smile as she thought of Laura. She felt blissfully happy, remembering waking up in her partners arms that morning. She couldn’t stop thinking about it and when she did she got butterflies in her tummy. They hadn’t talked about it, they hadn’t talked much at all really but after last night Carmilla had made up her mind, their partnership alone wasn’t enough for her anymore. 

“Can I help you?” A young man peeked his head out a room to her left, a hard hat on his head and large gloves on his hands.

“Hi there,” Carmilla internally shook herself and got back on task. “I’m with the FBI,” she held up her ID, “I’m looking for a man named, Gerry Gordon… Is he working this site?”

 _“Gerry?_ Yeah, he should be around here somewhere, everyone’s gone to lunch though, so you might have to wait around. He was up on the second floor last time I saw him.” He pointed up the stairs ahead.

Carmilla nodded and headed toward the stairs.

“Be careful up there, should really wear a hard hat,” he called after her.

“Wouldn’t go with my suit,” Carmilla said as she started to ascend the stairs.

At the top, she walked along a walkway that overlooked the ground floor, _“Hello?”_

“ _Hello?”_

A tall man in blue overalls emerged from a room down the hall and walked toward her with a confused glance, Carmilla must have looked very out of place.

“Hi, can I help you, Ma’am?”

“Uh, I hope so. Are you the foreman?”

“Yes, ma'am. Gerry Gordon. Something I can help you with?” He peered down at her, still a little confused.

“I'm Special Agent Karnstein with the FBI. I'd like to ask you a few questions about the day laborers that you hire.”

Mr Gordon blinked and then cleared his throat, “Is this… an IRS thing?”

“No, Mr Gordon,” Carmilla responded, she refrained from rolling her eyes.

“Well, my crew is at lunch if you want to talk to anybody, but everybody I've got on today is on the books, as far as I know.” He rubbed a hand at the back of his neck.

“You were the foreman for the construction job at Wests business park?”

“Yes, I was… can I ask what this is about?” He quickly glanced at the stairs to their left and Carmilla narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

“Did you hire any-” Her phone began to chime and pause, pulling it out.

Hollis was calling.

“Just give me a second.” She walked away a few feet and glanced out of the window into the street below.

She smiled as she answered the call. “Karnstein.”

_“Carm, it’s me.”_

“I know it’s you,” Carmilla huffed a laugh.

Laura’s quiet chuckle had her smiling wider.

_“He’s not here. Have you had any luck?”_

“Oh, yeah, I found him. He’s here,” Carmilla said quietly, “I’m just about to-”

Carmilla felt something hard collide with the top of her head, there was pain and she felt a wave of dizziness overwhelm her. She tried to turn to face her attacker but then her vision went dark and then she didn’t feel much of anything…

*

“Carm? _Carm?”_

Carmilla blinked open her eyes, her head felt heavy and painful.

“What happened to me?” She mumbled, trying to focus up. She met her partners worried eyes. She tried to push past a wave of dizziness as she sat up. Laura grabbed her shoulder.

“Careful, Carm. Looks like he knocked you out and ran… Was it the foreman?” Laura asked, placing her hands on Carmilla’s face and staring into her eyes as if she were looking for signs of injury.

“Who?” Carmilla blinked.

_Christ, there was something so hot about Laura when she was playing doctor. It was something Carmilla rarely got to see unless she was the focus of it but it made her feel things…_

“The foreman, _Gordon,”_ Laura added, waiting for a response.

“Crap. Um… yeah, he was acting suspicious… twitchy. Where is he?” Carmilla glanced around.

“Lucky for us, he was apprehended about four blocks from here and an officer found a leucotome in his pocket.” Hollis raised her brows, her eyes peering at the top of Carmilla’s head.

“A what?”

“It looks like he was carrying the weapon he used to murder the two men.”

“It was him? They got him?” Carmilla touched the back of her head.

“We got him,” Hollis nodded.

“Oh… good.” Carmilla blinked with confusion.

“Pruett is going to take over from here, I told him to give us a call if he needs anything. Now, let me look at you.” Laura said.

She touched the top of her head and the back and then glanced at her ears. She pulled out her flashlight and shone it in her eyes for a moment.

“How do you feel?”

“Better now, headache, little dizzy,” Carmilla said.

“I can’t see anything _too_ worrying but you were knocked out so you should probably see a doctor, just in case,” Laura said, pulling Carmilla to her feet.

“You are my doctor.”

* 

Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

She’s only been home for an hour, she’d been concerned about her partner after her injury but Agent Karnstein had refused any medical attention. She’d wanted to keep an eye on her once they’d made it back to D.C but Karnstein had insisted she was fine and that she needed to head to the office to handle a few things.

So when there was a knock on Laura’s door as she was making herself a cup of tea before bed, she bounded across to the door with a smile. 

“Hey, Carm,” Laura smiled almost coy as she opened the door and leaned on it for a second as they made eye contact.

“Can I come in?” Carmilla seemed kind of nervous herself, she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

“Of course you can,” Laura wanted to pull her in for a kiss but she refrained, only because her partner seemed on edge, which was concerning to her.

“Do you want anything, I was going to make tea?” Laura mumbled, heading over to her kitchen.

“Sure.”

Carmilla followed, leaned on the kitchen isle and watched Laura silently as she moved around her kitchen.

”Have you spoke to Detective Pruett?” Laura wondered. She felt anxious, she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest.

”Yes, it turns out that Gordon was institutionalised for several years with a schizophrenic disorder after he attacked his younger sister, leaving her severely disabled. He told Detective Pruett that he was trying to save to these women...”

Laura frowned, “And Alice Brandt... is she-“

”They found her body not far from where Mary Hansen was picked up. She was dead.” 

She sighed, “... We did what we could. I’m just glad we got the guy.”

”We’d probably still be out there if it wasn’t for you, Hollis.” 

Laura half smiled and gave a small shrug, “You okay? How’s your head?” 

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Carmilla licked her lower lip and seemed to be thinking carefully about what she wanted to say next, “Should we … I mean, we didn’t…” she shook her head, releasing a breath.

Laura’s nerves spiked… _Oh no_. _What was she going to say? She was ending it, she was going to say it was all a terrible mistake and that this couldn’t go on…_

“Laura, I don’t want…” Carmilla paused again and ran a hand through her hair frustratedly.

Laura’s brow furrowed as she waited, she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“I _can’t-”_

“It okay, Carm… if you don’t want to…” Laura interrupted, “If you don’t want to do _this.”_ Laura gestured between them.

 _“No,”_ Carmilla shook her head quickly, “I’m just not very good at this,” she sighed.

“What I’m trying to say is… I can’t do it anymore, Laura. You’re it… You’re _it_ for me. I know that I’m your partner and that maybe we _shouldn’t_ but that’s not enough, not anymore… I can’t do it. Laura, I _have_ to be with you. I cannot be your partner anymore if I can’t have you… all of you.”

 _“Oh,”_ Laura blinked, her brows raised.

_If she had been expecting to hear anything, that would not have been it._

“You don’t feel the same,” Carmilla nodded, her eyes closing for a second, her hands slipping into her pants pockets.

 _“No_ , I thought you were…” She waved her hands around as she struggled to find the words, “I was surprised… I thought you were going to _stop_ this, whatever this is.”

“Laura, I…. I…” Carmilla frowned at the ground.

_“Carm-”_

“Laura, I don’t know if this is a bad idea or if it will even work out but I never expected _anything_ like this to happen to me. The way I feel for you, it’s like-” she paused again.

Laura found her smiling, “Carm,” Laura took a step forward and placed a hand on her partners arm. “I know how you feel, it’s like… one day you look at a person and you see something more than you did the day before… And the person who was once just a friend, is suddenly the only person you could ever imagine yourself with.”

Carmilla gave a surprised huff as she smiled at Laura’s words, “That… _yep.”_

Laura giggled, biting down on her lower lip.

Carmilla pulled her closer with a perfect smile, “So… are we doing this, Hollis?” 

They stared at each other, “I’m all in if you are, Karnstein.”

Laura couldn’t stop smiling as Carmilla pulled her in for a kiss and then Carmilla was smiling and they broke apart with quiet laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... at what point do I bring this to a close? Because it has the potential to just go on and on. I'm thinking of ending it soon (next couple of chapters soon)
> 
> Thanks for reading guys!
> 
> Sarah


	16. The Missing Button

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X-Files - Hungry (S7)

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

“Agent Hollis, can I grab just a moment more of your time?” Assistant Director Belmonde asked after their meeting came to an end. Laura watched Agent Karnstein leave the director’s office as she turned back to the desk.

“Could you please look at this case, the medical reports in-particular, tell me if you think there are any inconsistences, any problems let me know,” Belmonde handed over a case file.

“Sure thing, I’ll get right on it,” Laura gave the Assistant Director a nod.

“Take your time.”

She gave Belmonde one last smile before heading for the exit, catching sight of her partner who seemed to have waited for her. She was conversing quietly with Amy, the AD’s assistant who leant casually on the edge of her desk.

Laura’s smile dropped to a frown as Amy giggled at Carmilla and lightly pushed on her arm in an overly flirtatious way. Carmilla chuckled, dropping her hands into her pockets and spoke quietly, “I have it on my desk somewhere, I’ll find it and bring it over.”

It was evident Agent Karnstein hadn’t noticed that Laura had left Belmonde’s office.

“Oh, could you? You wouldn’t mind?” Amy responded with a smile, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

Laura rolled her eyes and left the office without a word, leaving her partner to it. Instead, she decided to venture out in search of descent tasting coffee. Amy never seemed to give up and even though Laura knew that Carmilla wasn’t interested, it still kind of bothered her. 

*

Laura smiled and nodded at Agent Kirsch as she entered the office, a few file folders in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She caught sight of her partner sticking a map to the crime board.

“Carm, I haven’t even finished my morning coffee… why are there gruesome looking photos stuck to the crime board?” Laura said, placing her mug down on her desk and sighing dramatically as she slowly approached the board to get a closer look.

Agent Karnstein’s lips curled up into a small smile as she felt her partner approach, her hands sliding into her pants pockets as usual. She raised an eyebrow as she met Laura’s gaze, “Well that’s just not true is it, Agent Hollis?”

“What isn’t?” Laura folded her arms, unable to hold back a quizzical smile as she met Carmilla’s gaze.

“I made you your morning coffee… you drank it in bed,” Karnstein said casually, her gaze returning to the crime board.

Laura’s mouth gaped open for a moment, she glanced around cautiously before lightly thumping her partners arm, whispering, “Hey, that was like… a bonus coffee and I thought we weren’t telling people!”

Karnstein smiled and shook her head, turning to face her partner and the rest of the office, peering over Laura’s shoulder.

“No one is listening to us…and the only reason we’re not telling people is because I don’t care enough about them to want them to know.”

They’d been seeing each other for almost a month and upon first glance nothing had really changed. They both still took separate cars to work, they’d still rent two rooms when on assignment, though one of them was usually left vacant. They still argued at work, which occasionally ended with a sneaky make out in the back of the computer archive room. And to Carmilla’s displeasure, Laura still had lunch with Agent Lawrence at least once a week.

They’d decided not to tell anyone at work, though technically they weren’t aware of any official rule forbidding them from dating, they didn’t want to jeopardise their partnership again so kept it to themselves.

“And I don’t want anyone around here gossiping about us,” Carmilla said, reaching out instinctively to sweep a strand or two of Laura’s hair behind her ear.

Laura batted her partners hand away, glancing over her shoulder quickly, “You know people already gossip about us and I think Kirsch is suspicious.”

“Why?”

“He did see us holding hands on the parking floor the other day,” Laura whispered with a half shrug.

Karnstein glanced at Agent Kirsch, he hadn’t seemed to notice the end of his tie dipping into his coffee as he sat down at his desk.

She frowned at him, “I think we’re good, Hollis. You know, I almost feel sorry for Agent Orange, having him as a partner-”

Laura rolled her eyes, “The photos, Carm.” She nodded towards the crime board, lightly gripping Agent Karnstein’s elbow to urge her focus back on task.

“What am I looking at here?”

“Where did you go this morning?” Carmilla asked, ignoring the crime board.

“When?”

“I waited for you after the meeting and you just disappeared on me. I didn’t even see you leave…”

Laura raised a brow and gave her partner a questioning look, “Yeah, I noticed.”

“I’m… not following,” Carmilla shook her head, frowning in confusion.

“ _You_ ,” Laura poked her in the arm, pouting.

“Oww,” Carmilla took a small step back in alarm, “What are you-”

“And _Amy_? Of course you didn’t notice me, you were flirting with that… that… _woman_ ,” Laura whispered angrily.

Carmilla relaxed once she grasped the situation and appeared to be holding back a laugh.

“You can work on this case by yourself then,” Laura held back a smile as she went to turn back toward her desk.

“ _No_ , no, Laura, _wait_ ,” Carmilla lightly placed a hand on her waist and Laura turned to back to look at her with a raised brow.

“You know I’m not interested in woman… she just wanted some paperwork I forgot to give her,” Carmilla stared at her. “She may have flirted with me but I most certainly did not flirt back.”

Laura stared back, overly aware of her hand at her waist. She swallowed. “We’ll talk about this later,” she said quietly, turning to face the crime board.

“Okay,” Carmilla smiled, looking a little relieved.

“Her name was Marie Stewart,” Karnstein gestured to a photograph of a smiling woman, “She was 27 years old at the time of death, she was a school teacher. Identified by a small tattoo on the inside of her wrist, her face was so disfigured she was unrecognisable. Marie was found dead in her car three days ago.”

Laura grimaced and looked away from the photos of the crime scene, waiting for her partner to continue.

“ _Sixteen_ days ago, Alison Murray was found dead in her home with similar disfigurements,” Karnstein pointed toward a second set of photos.

“Any evidence, suspects? Any connection between the two victims?” Laura wondered aloud.

“Possibly.” Agent Karnstein smiled and pointed to a photo that Laura had trouble making out.

“What is it?” She leaned closer to the crime board.

“That was found in Marie Stewart’s car, it’s a button only given to employees who work at Billy’s Burgers.”

Laura stared at the button, it appeared to be spattered with blood, you could just make out the word, Free Fridays.

”It’s a promotional thing, free fries on a Friday.” 

“Well, there could be any number of reasons why that button got into Mary Stewarts car…”

“Marie Stewart had a telematics device installed in her vehicle meaning for insurance purposes, the car was trackable. I made a request for that data and here it is. I added some points of interest to this map…” Agent Karnstein gestured to the map on the crime board.

“Her car was found here… 5 blocks away from a Billy’s Burgers. The record shows that the vehicle did indeed visit the restaurant that night and left the premises around 11.30pm, sometime after closing.”

“Given that the button was found in Marie Stewarts car after visiting the restaurant and it’s only given to employees who work there…”

“An employee must be missing their button…” Laura said, her eyes narrowing at the photo in concentration.

“Exactly.”

Laura blinked and released a breathe as she took all this in, “Carm, this is a lot of work… when did you pick up this case?”

“Yesterday afternoon.”

Laura quickly glanced around the office and then spoke in a hushed tone, “So, yesterday night when we had dinner plans…”

Carmilla’s smile disappeared.

“And you were an hour late…”

Agent Karnstein visibly swallowed.

“You were working on _this_?”

She cleared her throat and looked uncertain about how to respond.

“ _Yes_?”

“Carm,” Laura folded her arms, “I know I always tease you about working too much but this isn’t a joke anymore… I’m a little hurt actually.”

“Cupcake… I’m sorry, I… I got caught up working on the case. I never-”

“You get caught up working _every_ case,” Laura sighed in annoyance.

Agent Karnstein reached out and discreetly pulled on the front pocket of Laura’s pants, drawing her closer, “I’m sorry, I guess I’m just used to always putting work first. I’m not used to having somebody… having to juggle my work and us.”

Laura’s lips twitched up into a small smile as she stared at her partner, she’d always struggled to stay angry at Carmilla for very long.

“I’ll make it up to you…” Carmilla whispered.

Laura stared at her partner for a few more seconds, her gaze slipping down to her lips.

“You’re about to tell me to gear up because we’ve heading to Billy’s Burgers, right?”

Agent Karnstein nodded, “The cops are meeting us there.”

*

Billy’s Burgers, Arlington, Virginia

“ _Hey! Wait! Um… Mr Sully, you might wanna get out here!”_ A young guy with floppy brown hair which appeared to stick up at all angles yelled from behind the counter as two police officers started to round up the customers to leave the fast food restaurant.

Laura followed Agent Karnstein as she approached the counter, pulling out her ID, “Good morning, we’re Agents Karnstein and Hollis from the FBI, we’re here investigating a recent murder. Can I please ask you to gather all of your employees?”

“Um… did you want fries with that?” The young man, whose name badge read Harry, blinked at them in bewilderment.

“This isn’t a joke, Mr...?”

”Hawkins. Harry Hawkins,” he spluttered out, pulling at the hair on the back of his head, “Did you wanna speak to the manager?”

“Please,” Karnstein said shortly, giving a forced smile before shaking her head and glancing up at the menu on the screens behind the counter as she waited.

“ _Mr Sully?!_ ” Harry yelled, almost tripping on the leg of a metal counter as he disappeared into the back.

After a moment or two, an older man with dark hair and a tan complexation not wearing the Billy’s Burgers Uniform but a plain white shirt and tie appeared.

“Can I help you? What’s going on here?” The man narrowed his eyes around the now empty restaurant.

“Are you the manager?” Laura asked with a smile.

“Yes, Adrien Sully,” he walked around the counter toward them with a apprehensive look.

“We’re Agent’s Karnstein and Hollis from the FBI, we’re investigating a recent murder in the area. Can I please ask you gather all of your employees?”

It took only a few minutes, they gathered tensely in front of the counter in a line.

“My name is Agent Karnstein, this is my partner Agent Hollis, some of you may be aware of a recent murder in the area. A young woman found dead in her car only a few blocks from here.”

Agent Karnstein paused, her eyes flickering along all of the employees who all remained still and silent.

“ _This_ ,” she held up a see through bag which held inside a small blood splattered button with Free Friday’s just visible upon it, ”Was found at the scene.”

“As far as I am aware, this is a button only given to employees of Billy’s Burgers, is that correct?”

“It is,” Mr Sully responded quietly.

“In that case, can I please ask everyone to hold up their button?”

There was a murmur amongst the staff, a few of them held up buttons, a few patted their pockets, “We only wear them on Fridays… it’s Tuesday,” Harry spoke up, twisting his fingers together apprehensively.

Carmilla sighed in annoyance and Laura stepped forward, ”Who has their button with them?”

“In our lockers,” a small girl whose uniform was a size or two too big, said quietly.

“Yeah, mines in my bag,” another employee said.

“Go find your buttons... please,” Karnstein said, slipping her hands into her pants pockets.

Harry was the last employee to return with a button, he held it up proudly. Every employee in Billy’s Burgers now held a button in their hand apart from one man who leaned on the counter quite relaxed, a Billy’s Burgers hat sat low on his head, shadowing his eyes. He had sandy light hair sticking out from under it and a scar on his left cheek. He was slowly chewing gum and looked the most at ease of all of the employees in the room.

“Where is your button, Mr…?” Laura gestured to him.

“Sam Mitchell,” he cleared his throat.

“Where is your button, Mr Mitchell?”

“It’s not Friday, it‘s Tuesday. I don’t have it,” he shrugged, he fixed his cap a little higher on his forehead.

Carmilla’s eyes narrowed at him before she turned to the manager, “Mr Sully, is it? Can I ask to see records of every employee and the work roster for the last three weeks.”

*

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

Agent Karnstein pulled her chair up next to Laura’s desk, rolling up her shirt sleeves, “So, you find anything?”

Laura nodded, removing a pen her between her teeth, eyes on her computer screen, “It appears Sam Mitchell does have a criminal record… looks like theft amongst a few other petty crimes… spent nine months in prison.”

“Hmm…” Carmilla gave this a moment’s thought, “I wonder if Mr Sully is aware of that…”

Laura glanced sideways at her partner, “Who? The manager?”

“Yeah... So, what are you thinking?” Karnstein asked, sitting back in her chair.

Laura gave a little shake of her head, glancing down at the records on the desk in front of them and shuffling a few of the sheets around, “No one else seemed at all suspect and I guess he was the only employee without a button…”

Carmilla crossed her arms, thinking for a moment, “I’m not sure… Any of those employees could have potentially grabbed a button from anywhere in there, it doesn’t really prove anything, does it?”

Laura shook her head again, almost smiling, “I did try to say earlier that your button plan did seem a little weak, but as usual… you don’t listen to me.”

“It’s gotten us a lead hasn’t it? Plus, we know Marie Stewart’s car definitely visited the restaurant that night. _Wait_ … when haven’t I listened to you?”

“Really? Are we doing this?” Laura turned to face her partner with an eyebrow raised.

“When?” Carmilla repeated, watching her closely.

“Okay. The time I told you to wait for back up in Virginia and you sauntered off on your own and almost got murdered. When we were invited to that retreat and I insisted we go but you didn’t listen to me and oh, almost got murdered. That time I said it was a bad idea to enter that creepy manor house-”

“We don’t talk about that-”

“And don’t even get me started on that time with the alligator-”

Carmilla stood up, grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair, “You know what, I think we need to talk to Mr Mitchell. Let’s get him picked up.”

“And what about that time-”

“Hollis, you made your point, let’s go.”

*

Police Station, Arlington, Virginia

Sam Mitchell seemed to be as at ease as he was had been that morning, he was still wearing his Billy’s Burgers uniform. He took a sip of water from a plastic cup as Laura and Karnstein entered the small room.

“Good evening, Mr Mitchell. How are you doing?” Laura said as she took a seat, placing a file down on the table in front of them.

“Not so good, got fired this afternoon, also, am I under arrest?”

“Weren’t aware of your criminal record?” Agent Karnstein asked, pulling the file toward her.

“Not until you two showed up,” he glanced between them.

“I’m sorry, Mr Mitc-”

“What do you want? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“We’re just going to ask you a few questions, Mr Mitchell. How long had you worked at Billy’s Burgers?” Agent Karnstein met his gaze.

“About 4 months,” he took another sip of his water.

“Mr Mitchell, do you know this woman?” Karnstein opened the file and pulled out a picture of Marie Stewart.

He peered at the image for a few seconds and then shook his head, “No.”

Carmilla raised an eyebrow in what looked like surprise, she studied Mr Mitchell for a few seconds longer before moving on.

“What about this woman?” She placed a picture of Alison Murray in front of him.

His brow furrowed and he swallowed as he stared at her picture, blinking as few times, “Yes.. is she… is she _dead_?”

Laura glanced at Agent Karnstein who met her gaze, “I’m afraid so. How do you know her?”

“This woman, her name was Alice or something, I can’t remember. She used come in all the time…” He scratched at the back of his head. “Harry was practically in love with her, he’d always rush to counter when she walked in. We used to make fun of him for it.”

“Harry knew her? The guy who was working the counter when we came in?” Agent Karnstein asked, curiously.

Mitchell nodded, “They used to talk that’s all, when she came in. I don’t know if he knew her well.”

“She eat when she came by?”

“Sometimes, I think,” he shrugged, “She usually just got free milkshakes from Harry.”

“Her name was Alison Murray, she was found dead in her apartment two weeks ago.”

He stared at her photo and then met Carmilla’s gaze.

“I swear to you, I have nothing to do with this.”

After a moment, Karnstein slowly nodded and then moved to stand, “Mr Mitchell, you’re free to go.”

Laura turned to her partner once they’d reached the street outside the police station, “What are your thoughts? He was our only lead.”

“It obviously wasn’t him, Hollis,” Carmilla said as they walked toward their car.

She sighed, “Yeah, I didn’t think it was.”

*

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

Laura smiled when she spotted her partner already at her desk the next morning. She placed a coffee down in front of her, giving her shoulder a squeeze, “How late did you work last night?”

Carmilla looked up from the file in front of her, “I left about an hour or so after you.”

“Oh, well I missed you. You should have come by,” Laura said as she took her seat at her desk.

“Really? I didn’t want to bother you.”

Laura smiled, she glanced briefly over her shoulder before continuing, “You are my girlfriend, Carm, that kind of thing is welcomed.”

“Right. I… of course.”

“So, anything new?” Laura asked, taking a sip of her own coffee.

“Yes, actually. According to the roster, Harry Hawkins was working alone the night Marie Stewart was murdered.”

Laura nodded, “Okay. He was friends with the first victim, definitely came into contact with the second victim the night she died. He didn’t really seem the type, but… it’s gotta be him, right?”

“I think you’re right, Hollis, which is why I passed it on to the local PD in Virginia. They picked him up early this morning. They found a bloodied Billy’s Burger’s uniform in the trash outside his apartment. Pretty damning evidence.”

Laura shook her head, smiling, “Well that’s it. Case closed.”

“There’s something else…”

“Go on.”

“Sam Mitchell was found dead last night by his roommate. Police at the scene described exactly the same disfigurements as the murders of Alison and Marie.”

“Harry killed him because we talked to him?”

“Maybe.” Karnstein shrugged, “I have a meeting with Belmonde and then I’ll head over and question him. Get the case tied up.”

“You want me to come with?”

Carmilla stood up, closing the file on her desk, “No, I’ll deal with it.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later… and tell Amy to keep her hands off you.”

Carmilla chuckled, “… Maybe we’ll go to lunch,” she teased.

“Don’t even joke, Carm,” Laura jokingly scowled at her partner.

Carmilla smiled and leaned down close to Laura’s ear, “Being a little hypocritical don’t you think, Agent Hollis?”

It took a Laura a moment or two to process what Carmilla had said due to her close proximity, “What do you mean?”

“Will you be having lunch with Agent Lawrence today?” Carmilla smirked.

“What does that- _Oh_ …” Laura nodded, frowning down at her desk.

“I’ll see you later, Hollis,” Agent Karnstein said before Laura had a chance to say anymore, she disappeared from the office.

*

Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

Laura rose from the couch at the sound of the familiar knock on her apartment door and quickly moved to answer it, “You know I really should just give you your own key, Carm,” she said when she caught sight of her partner.

Carmilla stepped over the threshold with a smile, dropping a kiss on Laura’s brow. “Ooh, my own key. What a privilege.”

“So, how did it go today? Case closed?” Laura asked, walking over to the kitchen and standing on her tippy toes to grab some glasses from the cabinet above her head.

Carmilla removed her jacket throwing it over the back of a chair. “Pretty much. Mr Hawkins took Sam Mitchell’s button the day after he lost his in Marie Stewart’s car, stole it from his locker apparently.”

“Why did he murder him?” Laura frowned.

“According to Mr Hawkins, Sam Mitchell confronted him after we questioned him, said he threatened him. I guess Mr Mitchell was just scared he was going to go down for murder… How was your lunch with Agent Lawrence?” 

“Oh, I forgot… I was meant to be angry with you,” Laura’s brows drew together, lost in thought for a moment.

“ _Meant_ to be- What have I done now, Hollis?” Carmilla smirked, leaning on the counter next to her.

“For comparing my friendship with Danny to your _flirtation_ with that… _woman_.” Laura narrowed her eyes at her partner.

“Oh, for a second there I thought I might have actually done something wrong,” Carmilla smiled.

Laura rolled her eyes and pushed on Carmilla’s shoulder.

“So, is this the kind of angry where you’re angry with me so I’ll be overly affectionate and then we have sex on the couch or are you actually angry?” Carmilla raised a brow.

“The first one... but now you’ve ruined it,” Laura laughed.

“Well in that case, Cupcake…” Carmilla smiled, wrapping her hands around Laura’s waist and pulling her close. “Let’s just skip right over the angry part…” she pushed a lock of hair behind Laura’s ear.

Laura smiled and gave a small shake of her head as she leant in to kiss Carmilla.

Everything was perfect. And as Laura pulled away from her partner with a mischievous smile and ran around the kitchen isle heading for the couch, she couldn’t escape from the niggling feeling in the back of her mind that things were a little _too_ perfect... and how long would that last...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing. nothing wrong, just wanted a break, then I kind of got out of my writing routine and struggled to get back into it again. Good to be back! 
> 
> Sarah


	17. The One That Got Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X files episode - Orison (S7)

Two or three months later…

Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

No… _No!_

“Laura, wake up… _Laura…”_

_“No!”_

_“Laura!”_

Laura sucked a gasping breath as she blinked open her eyes. She sat up in a moment of panic, a hand reaching for her gun, knocking it from her bedside table to the floor with a loud clatter before she realized where she was. She was in the safety of her apartment with her partner in bed beside her. Nevertheless, she glanced warily around the room for a moment, breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?”

She almost flinched when Carmilla’s hand landed on her shoulder and she nodded maybe a little too vigorously, feeling embarrassment at her extreme reaction to a dream. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm her heart as it beat hard against her chest.

“Just a dream…” Carmilla whispered.

Laura swallowed, running a hand through her hair, glancing at the time - 3.47am.

“I um…” she turned to her partner, “… I’m sorry about that.”

“Hey, don’t apologize because you had a bad dream…” Carmilla said, reaching out and pulling her closer. They lay down, Carmilla’s fingers tickled down her arm as Laura rested her head on her shoulder. Laura tried to blink away the sudden tears in her eyes.

“What happened?”

She frowned with concentration as she tried to recall her dream, flashes of it coming back to her. It had been dark, rain, lots of it… she remembered the sound of thunder… a then a silhouette towering over her…

“I don’t really… remember,” she said honestly.

Carmilla placed a kiss on her brow, “Good… it didn’t sound as if it was worth remembering.”

Laura shivered then, her eyes landed on the half open window across the room. Carmilla frowned disappointedly when she pulled away.

“I’m just going to close the window, Carm,” Laura smiled halfheartedly.

She paused when she reached it, an odd feeling overwhelming her. A feeling in her gut telling her something was wrong… she peered down into the street below, seeing nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. She gripped the window edge and pushed down hard on it to close, it thumped louder than she expected, the glass shaking in the frame for a few seconds. The feeling in her gut not yet ebbing away. She stood still for a moment, listening…

“What’s wrong?” Carmilla whispered.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Laura turned back to bed, choosing to ignore the feeling. There was nothing wrong, she was just on edge because she’d had a bad dream, that was all. Everything would be fine, she just needed time to calm down. She climbed back into bed and Carmilla pulled her close again.

“I’ve got you, Cupcake.”

Laura smiled, already feeling much better.

“It was just a dream…” Laura mumbled. “…Only a dream.”

*

There was an irritating ringing, at first Laura thought it was her alarm which was unusual because she usually always woke up before her alarm. As she drifted awake, she felt movement on the bed beside her and she heard Carmilla answer her phone.

“Agent Karnstein,” she grumbled drowsily, slowly sitting up.

Laura didn’t bother to open her eyes, she could feel herself falling back to sleep.

“Yes – I… _Huh? What?..._ What do you _mean?”_

The very next thing Laura was aware of is her partner scrambling to get dressed, she peaked open an eye and Carmilla was hurriedly buttoning her shirt, grabbing her gun off the desk and heading for the bedroom door.

“Carm… where are you… what’s going on?” Laura mumbled groggily, sitting up.

It was still dark outside, she squinted in her partners direction.

“Laura, I’ve- I have to go,” Carmilla said quickly, holstering her weapon as she left the bedroom and tucking in her shirt at the same time.

“ _Why-_ Where are you going?” Laura kicked off the sheets and got to her feet. _“Carm!”_

“I’m going to Illinois, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Carmilla was pulling on her shoes, “I’ll explain later, go back to bed.” She said, grabbing her jacket as she headed for the door.

“Carm, wait, I don’t- _Carm!”_

The door closed and Carmilla was gone, leaving Laura alone in her bedroom doorway, the apartment now falling silent. 

She crawled back into bed with a sigh, her gaze landing on the now empty side of the bed. _There she goes again, nothing had changed. Leaving without an explanation. Work always came first with Agent Karnstein… What could really be_ so _important?_

Laura turned over and closed her eyes, she’d yell at her later for running out on her like that without an explanation. Laura was her partner, if it was something so important then why couldn’t she just take 30 seconds to explain?

*

High Security Prison, Illinois

Carmilla ran a hand through her hair frustratedly as she listened to the marshals talk, walking back and forth across the wardens office, “… One of the men was sentenced to life without parole for the sadistic murders of four women, Donald young.”

“Agent Karnstein, you put this man away, is that correct?”

She looked up and glanced around the office, all six marshals and the warden were staring at her.

“Yeah and it looks like someone forgot to throw away the key…” Carmilla said angrily.

“We could use all the help you can give us to understand who exactly we are dealing with. Tell us what you know, anything that might help us apprehend him.” Officer Barrett said, shoving the file in her direction, he appeared to running this operation.

Carmilla took a deep breath, taking the file and letting it fall open in her hand, a picture stared up at her, she glared at it for a moment. “Donald Young is a death fetishist… a collector of hair, finger nails, fingers, dead flesh… he gets off on it. And that’s how it started, once he couldn’t get his hands on the bodies anymore… he started murdering women to satisfy his desires.”

“What a sick man,” one marshal grimaced.

“Donald Young isn’t just _dangerous_ , or a _sick man_... He’s evil.” Carmilla glanced at each of the marshals hoping they would take her words seriously.

“Just women he’s after?” Officer Barrett asked raising a brow.

“Just women… and with a lengthily spell in here, I’m sure I know exactly what he’s planning,” Carmilla nodded.

“Any idea where he’ll go?”

She shook her head unsure, her hands dropping into her pants pockets, “It’s unlikely he’ll go anywhere in particular, anywhere familiar to him at this time. He won’t run and hide like the others will, his desire is what will drive him, it’ll be the only thing on his mind.”

She dropped the file onto the desk as she addressed the men, “He’ll leave a trail of victims behind him, I do know that. Release a statement to the press, get the word out. If the public recognise him, he’ll struggle to pick up women. Notify hospitals and tighten security in cemeteries, though I doubt he’ll go there. Cops should patrol areas in which sex workers frequent, if I had to guess… that’s where you’ll find him.”

*

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

Laura was quietly seething with anger, she displayed this by hitting the keys on her keyboard slightly harder than usual and exhaling heavily every now and then. She hadn’t seen or heard from her partner all day and her phone was switched off. The thing was, this wasn’t exactly uncommon for Agent Karnstein, she’d disappear, start work on cases without Laura’s knowledge and that had been fine… _before_ but Carmilla wasn’t just her partner anymore… now Laura couldn’t just ignore being left out of the loop all the time. Work- life balance came to mind, that was the problem. She sighed again, she’d thought things were changing. Carmilla seemed to be getting better at it, she’d been working less, and at least talking to Laura about the cases before she disappeared.

“Laura, have you eaten today?” Danny asked, approaching her desk with her usual warm smile.

Laura quickly turned in her chair, she hadn’t been expecting to be disturbed from her angry contemplations.

“Sorry? Oh, um…”

Danny’s eyebrows drew together, “Everything okay, Laura? Something’s not quite…”

_“No_ , I um…”

Laura’s eye’s zeroed in on Agent Karnstein as she casually strolled into the office, their eyes met. Carmilla smiled, Laura did not.

She rose from her chair, forgetting about Agent Lawrence and quickly approached her partner, unable to conceal her anger.

Carmilla looked warily at her then, her smile disappearing. She placed her hands on Laura’s elbows, “It’ll be okay, Laura. Trust me, it’s unlikely he’ll get…”

Laura pushed her hands away, scowling at her partner, “Get _off me!_ What was it this time, Carm? _Hey?”_

Agent Karnstein’s eyes widened and she took a small stunned step back. She glanced quickly around the office at the other agents as if searching for an explanation as to why her partner was so angry.

“You _storm_ out of bed this morning without _any_ explanation! I haven’t been able to get in touch with you _all day_! I had no idea, Carm, _no idea_ where you were! Why can’t you just talk to me? Do I mean _so little_ to you that-”

“You… you don’t _know?_ _Do you?”_ Carmilla interrupted, she sighed and gripped at the bridge of her nose.

 _“No,_ I don’t know because you don’t tell me anything! _What’s_ going on? _Tell me!”_ Laura said impatiently.

Everyone in the office was staring at them, Agent Kirsch was paused with a sandwich half way to his mouth, there’s no way everyone hadn’t listened to every word.

“Laura, _please…_ ” Carmilla sighed.

“What is it, _Agent Karnstein?!”_ Laura yelled again.

There was a moment of silence before Carmilla took a breath, she glanced around cautiously at the agents who were watching them, her eyes landed on her partner, “Six prisoners escaped from a max security prison in Illinois early this morning at 3.47am.”

Laura sucked in a quick shaky breath… that feeling in her gut telling her that something was wrong returned with a vengeance.

“Among the six was Donald Young…. That’s where I’ve been.” Carmilla said, her face expressionless as he stared at her partner, her hands falling into her pants pockets.

Laura blinked, struggling to process what she was hearing.

 _“Young_ …? He... _no,_ ” she shook her head, _“No,_ I don’t believe it.”

She backed away from Agent Karnstein, her throat starting to constrict as the words she had heard started to sink in.

“It’s true, Agent Hollis.” Carmilla stated in a professional tone.

“Why… _Why_ did you keep this from me?” Laura mumbled, staring at the floor near her partners feet, her hands shaking.

“I’m telling you now.”

“I could have gone _with_ you-”

“ _No.”_ Carmilla interrupted quickly, her impassive demeanour slipping, “I wasn’t going to involve you in this-”

 _“It’s not your choice!”_ Laura took a step closer, pointing a finger at the partner.

“Guys, let’s just-” Agent Lawrence took a step closer to Agent Hollis.

“ _Back off_ , Agent Orange, this hasn’t got anything-”

Kirsch’s hand landed on Carmilla’s shoulder as she took a step in Danny’s direction.

She shoved Kirsch’s hand away and focused her attention back on her partner, “Laura, what he did to you-”

“ _Exactly_ , Carm!” Laura met her gaze, “He abducted me, he _beat_ me and tried to murder me. And you didn’t _think_ to tell me that he had escaped from _prison!?_ You didn’t even _call me_ -”

“I didn’t want you involved! I just spoke to the officers, I told them what I knew and then I left, _that_ was it. I didn’t want to expose you to this again. I didn’t want you anywhere near-”

“You had _no right_ -”

Carmilla’s face hardened, losing her temper, “I was doing what I thought was right! I was trying to protect you, Laura. I don’t know if you know this but you are the only _goddamn thing_ in this world that matters to me! I’ve seen your life in danger one _too many_ times and I can’t let it happen again! So don’t be mad at me just because _I_ love you!”

Laura’s mouth popped open in stunned silence and Carmilla’s eyes widened when she realised exactly what she’d just said. She sucked in a shaky breath as a moment of absolute silence passed. She glanced around, taking a step or two backwards, every eye in the room was staring at her. Kirsch’s sandwich lay on the floor near his feet.

Carmilla did the only thing she could think of in that moment and turned, heading for the exit. She didn’t hang around to see if Laura would follow her, she was angry and more than a little mortified. Though everything Carmilla had said had been true, she hadn’t intended to reveal that to every agent in the office.

She ignored the elevator and instead headed for the stairs. _Christ, could she could ever step foot in that office again?_

*

Carmilla’s Apartment, Georgetown, Washington D.C

Carmilla let the file in her hand fall closed as she swung back casually on her wooden chair, she fell down onto four legs abruptly, dropping the file onto the desk as she began to type quickly at her laptop. After a moment, she glanced up at the window in front of her and then at the time. Dusk… she wondered whether Laura had left the office yet.

She hadn’t returned to work that day and had cowardly gone home to her apartment to hide and entertain the idea of disappearing forever. Her phone which had been dead, sat charged on her desk now but had remained silent. Laura hadn’t tried to contact her since their argument at the office and Carmilla didn’t know whether that was a good sign or not but she silently thought it wasn’t.

Carmilla sat back in her chair with a sigh of returning humiliation as she recalled what had happened only a few hours ago. She could understand why her partner was angry but had she been in Laura’s position she most definitely would have followed her girlfriend after the reveal she’d made. Admitting to someone you love them… _That’s a big deal, right?_

She had visions of every agent in the office including Laura laughing it up for the rest of the afternoon at her expense and the endless gossip which had likely spread to every agent in the building by now. She briefly wondered what would happen now that their little secret was out… Would Laura still want to be with her? Would the shared embarrassment her partner surely felt lead to Laura breaking up with her? Would Belmonde want them separated?

Carmilla sipped at her scotch which she’d been nursing for an hour and rolled up the sleeves on her shirt. She was waiting… she listened to a siren fly past on the street below, a dog barking, the ding of a bicycle bell… and then a knock.

She didn’t immediately move, Carmilla wasn’t sure what she was going to face on the other side of that door and couldn’t prepare herself for it either. Would Laura still be angry? Was she here with bad news?

“Carm?” Came a quiet voice.

Laura knocked a second time.

“Carm?... I know you’re here… Your car is outside. Well actually, I guess that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in there but if you are here… can you let me in? Please? Because um… I’d rather not say what I need to say to your… door.”

Carmilla stood and quietly approached.

What did her partner _need_ to say? This didn’t sound good.

She gave herself one more second to compose herself before she opened the door. She felt immediately both better and worse at seeing her partner. Laura gave her a small smile, her eyes looked heavy and tired and her hair was mussed as if she’d been spent the day aggressively running her fingers through it. 

Carmilla for once couldn’t think of a single thing to say… her teeth tugged at her lower lip, she’d clearly already said enough for one day anyway.

They stared at each other, Laura sucked in a breath before she spoke, wringing her hands together.

“Where did you go when you left today?” Laura said quietly.

Carmilla opened her mouth to speak, she leant on the door trying to give off a casual façade but she felt nothing of the sort. “I um… I just came back here, I went home.” She cleared her throat and then rubbed at the back of her neck.

Laura nodded, she licked her lower lip and she seemed to be considering something seriously.

“Can I come in?” She asked, rising up on her toes for a second before dropping back down as if she wanted nothing more than to enter the apartment but held herself back.

“Sure,” Carmilla ran a hand through her hair as Laura passed by her and walked into her cluttered living room.

“Have you been drinking?” Laura asked, eyeing the scotch perched on top of a pile of files next to the laptop.

“No, well… just that one,” Carmilla’s hands dropped into her pants pockets habitually.

Laura removed her jacket and placed it carefully on the back of Carmilla’s desk chair as neither of them said a word.

“So…” Laura said assertively but went on to say nothing more.

“ _So,”_ Carmilla mumbled, moving across the space and dropping to sit on the arm of her couch uneasily.

Laura moved to stand in front of her, Carmilla had to lift her chin to meet her partners gaze.

Another silent moment passed as their eyes met.

“You love me?” Laura whispered.

Carmilla couldn’t speak, she nodded slowly. Why was her heart beating so harshly?

“And Young is he… still at large?”

She nodded again.

“And am I… do you think he might…”

Carmilla suddenly found her voice, she didn’t like where this conversation was headed, “He won’t get to you, you don’t have worry about anything, Laura. They’ll catch him, he won’t get far.”

Laura nodded slowly as she processed this information, “And… you _love_ me?”

Carmilla’s lips turned up in the corners and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

Laura groaned in frustration then as she had allowed herself to become side-tracked. “ _Oh,_ _Carm_ , why do you… You can’t _keep_ things from me… not anymore.” She thumped her hand on Carmilla’s knee.

“I’m sorry, Laura, I know but… I did what I thought was right. I didn’t want to scare you, to drag you along with me and make you relive what he did to you. You’ve been through _too_ much… I didn’t want to have to put you through that... I couldn’t.”

Carmilla reached up slowly, placing her hands on her partners hips as Laura got a far off look in her eyes.

“I relive it all the time, Carm… it never really goes away.”

She slipped her arms around Laura’s waist with a sigh and pulled her closer, leaning her head on her front.

After a moment, Carmilla felt Laura’s fingers start to gently slide through her hair and she let her eyes fall closed.

They were both quiet for a long time, Carmilla calmed down enough that she could feel her eyes getting heavy as she breathed in her partners comforting familiar scent.

“So, you love me, huh?” Laura said again. Carmilla could hear the smile in her voice and she groaned, letting go and lightly pushing her away. She avoided Laura’s gaze and shuffled to fall off the arm of the couch onto the soft cushions to get away from her. Even just the two of them she still felt the humiliation of her slip up that morning.

“ _Carm,”_ Laura giggled, quickly slipping off her shoes before climbing onto Carmilla’s lap.

“Carm, look at me,” Laura reached out and placed her hands on Carmilla’s face so she had no choice but to look at her. Laura leaned in close with a smile.

Carmilla only regarded her with a look of reluctance as if she feared more teasing was imminent.

“Come here,” Laura sighed, leaning in and meeting her partners lips with her own.

Carmilla’s eyes slipped closed as she hummed into the kiss, bringing her hands quickly up into her partner’s hair, leaning in as Laura pulled away too soon.

Laura leaned in again, planting another short but firm kiss on Carmilla’s lips before taking a breath and meeting her gaze.

“Agent Karnstein…” Laura’s bottom lip caught between her teeth as if she was trying to hold back a laugh, they smiled at each other, she tried again… “Agent Karnstein, I l-”

They were both startled at the unexpected chiming of Carmilla’s phone. Laura gripped at her shoulders in a moment of shock before turning in the direction of the noise.

“It’s my phone,” Carmilla said quietly as Laura got up and slipped away from her.

She grabbed the phone quickly before returning to her original position in her partners lap.

“Karnstein,” Carmilla answered the phone as Laura planted a kiss on her brow. She pressed her fingers into Laura’s waist.

“Okay… got it. Yes… Keep me informed, thank you.” Carmilla sat back into the couch cushions, putting some distance between their bodies as she dropped her phone onto the couch beside her.

“What is it?” Laura mumbled, tugging absentmindedly at a button on the front of Carmilla’s white shirt.

“Young,” Carmilla said displeased, “Looks like he got picked up by a woman at a bus stop… she’s been found dead in her apartment in the bath with fingers and hair missing.”

Laura let her eyes fall closed, she slowly leaned forward to rest her brow on Carmilla’s shoulder. After a moment, she slid off her lap onto the couch next to her.

“Four other men who escaped the prison have already been apprehended which is a good sign. The Marshals will pick him up, he can’t get far… especially if he’s leaving trail of victims behind him.” Carmilla mumbled.

Laura nodded slowly, her stomach twisted in distress as she tried to process what her partner had said.

“I’m sorry, Cupcake,” Carmilla intertwined their fingers.

“Why?” Laura whispered.

“I thought… I thought they’d have apprehended him by now…”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Carm,” Laura sighed, giving her partners hand a squeeze.

They were quiet for a moment, “So… can I show my face at work again ever or should I just demand to be reassigned now?” Carmilla nudged Laura’s shoulder with her own, changing the subject.

Laura puffed out a short laugh, smiling. “Well, everyone was… _surprised_ to say the least…”

“Oh, god…” Carmilla groaned bringing a hand up to cover her face.

“Although Kirsch was quick to announce he’d had a feeling there was _something_ going on,” Laura smiled.

“That lackwit? Doubt it,” Carmilla chuckled. “What about Agent Orange?”

“Danny… “ Laura paused for a moment as she thought, “Danny avoided me for the rest of the day actually.”

“I told you.”

“Told me what?” Laura met her gaze.

“That Lawrence has a huge thing for you.”

“Carm, just because she didn’t talk to me doesn’t mean…”

“Of course it does, its exactly what I’d do if I was her.”

Laura smiled and shook her head, “So, apart from maybe some staring and what’s going to be a lot of gossiping and _possibly_ some side-eye from Danny… I think we’ll be fine.”

“And Belmonde… do you think she’d… split us up?” Carmilla wondered.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Laura mumbled, absentmindedly playing with Carmilla’s fingers.

“Stay here tonight,” Carmilla whispered.

“Is that because you’re worried…”

“No it’s because I want you here and… I want you to have some peace of mind.”

Laura didn’t respond.

“Laura, you are probably the last thing on Donald Young’s mind right now. He’s 800 miles away from here. Cupcake, you haven’t got _a thing_ to worry about.”

*

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

It had been two days since Carmilla’s outburst in the office, everyone appeared to have come to terms with the news and things seemed to have returned to normal. Carmilla had strolled into the office the next day as if nothing had happened and it seemed no one dared bring it up. Agent Kirsch had only once tried to make a comment about them both in Carmilla’s presence which resulted in a death stare from Agent Karnstein that had him disappearing under his desk for a few minutes.

Carmilla hadn’t received any updates from the officers in Illinois and was a little on edge, though she hadn’t mentioned anything to her partner. Maybe no news was good news… she didn’t let herself dwell on it.

As expected, Lawrence glared at Carmilla a little more but hadn’t really spoken to her since, not they spoke much anyway. Laura would poke Carmilla in the ribs every time she smiled arrogantly at one of Lawrence’s scowls.

Laura had decided to have lunch with a reluctant Danny to try and explain things and Agent Lawrence seemed to have unenthusiastically accepted the news.

No one in the office seemed to notice when Laura sat close to Carmilla at her desk one afternoon and they discreetly held hands for a few moments as they worked over a case file.

They’d had their daily meetings with Assistant Director Belmonde and they’d both sighed in relief when to their surprise, she either didn’t know or didn’t care about the news because she didn’t bring up their relationship status at all.

Laura watched Agent Karnstein bite down on her lower lip as she concentrated on the computer screen in front of her. They were working late at the office, just the two of them left and Laura yawned, rubbing at her tired eyes as she thought about going home and taking a nice warm bath.

She rose from her chair with a stretch and started to gather her belongings, slipping on her jacket, keeping an eye on her partner as she did so. Carmilla wasn’t to be disturbed as she continued to work away silently.

Laura placed a hand on Carmilla’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze, “It’s getting late, are you coming?”

Agent Karnstein glanced at the time, 6.15, and then up at her partner. Laura gave her a warm smile.

“I just really need to finish this before tomorrow…” Carmilla said, placing a hand on top of hers.

Laura leaned down and placed a kiss on her partners brow, “ Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow? Or… you could come by when you’re done?”

Karnstein nodded, “Yes… but I left a file on my desk at home which has the figures I need for the meeting tomorrow morning so I’ll need to go home and get that first-”

Laura cut her off with a kiss.

“Don’t worry about it,” she whispered, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Carm… Don’t work too late.”

Carmilla smiled, pulled her in and kissed her once more.

“Hmm… maybe I will drop by later,” she smirked.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Laura said as she headed for the exit.

*

Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

 _“What in the…”_ Laura grumbled irritably as she entered her apartment, pushing the door closed harsher than usual. Since getting in her car the weather seemed to have changed drastically and the rain lashed against her wind screen severely. She was soaked to the skin just running from her car to her apartment building.

She dropped her bag down by the door and sauntered through her apartment to grab a towel to dry her face. She blindly walked into her bedroom with the towel covering her face as she tried to towel dry her hair and then paused. She frowned as she saw the open bedroom window which she didn’t remember leaving open but then again it wouldn’t be first time. The chill in the air caused her to shiver and she dropped the towel onto her bed and pushed harshly on the windows edge for the stiff window to thud closed.

She sighed, glancing at the desk next to her window which seemed to have caught some of the rain as it came in, she dried it off with the towel. She unholstered her gun and dropped it onto the desk, pausing for a moment to stare out of the window at the lashing rain as the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance.

Untucking her shirt and undoing a button or two, she walked through her apartment to the kitchen to browse the fridge. Laura felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she turned around quickly toward her bedroom but of course… nothing was wrong.

She shook her head, embarrassed at herself and poked her head into the fridge as she considered eating something now or taking a bath first. She looked around her apartment again suspiciously and her hand fell her pants pocket where her phone sat.

She was almost tempted to call her partner just to hear a familiar voice but then she shook herself, she wouldn’t want to worry her. Instead, she pulled out her phone, connected to the speakers and turned on some relaxing music slightly louder than she usually would have just to calm herself down. She dropped her phone onto the kitchen counter, a classical piece of music she recognised but did not know the name of started to play and she felt better as she headed into the bathroom to draw a bath.

She watched the water run over her hand until it became too hot to bear and then she stood with a sigh, stretching tiredly as she walked back through to her bedroom to grab her towel and leave some pyjamas on the bed.

She hummed along to the music as she searched through her draws and dropped a pair of shorts and t-shirt onto her bed. Her eyes catching sight of the closet door which was only slightly open, not that that was unusual but today somehow it just seemed off…

Laura moved and reached out towards it with a brow raised and unexpectedly the door jutted open, smacking her in the face. Laura felt her noise throb intensely and her eyes jammed closed as she fell hitting the back of the head on the corner of the wooden chest that sat at bottom of her bed.

She cried out in pain, blinking up through the tears that were suddenly blurring her vision, her greatest fear suddenly realised as she saw Donald Young staring down at her with an unpleasant smile.

Reacting on instinct, Laura’s foot came up and she kicked him in the knee as hard she could, scrambling to her feet as he groaned in pain.

_Where is her gun?… Where is her gun?…_

She spied it on the desk next to the window and she scrambled in that direction. She swiped at the blood dripping down onto her lip as her nose bled and her head throbbed.

Young made a grab for her around the middle but she resisted, grabbing a lamp off the desk and smashing it over his head.

This didn’t seem to slow him down too much but she had time to reach for her gun, turning toward him…

It slipped through her bloodied fingers, clattering onto the floor and disappearing under the bed as he grabbed her again, pushing her toward the wall. Laura’s head hit the mirror and she heard a crack, her head throbbed again.

She made a grab for anything nearby, a glass candle on her desk. She hit him over the head with it and he stumbled back. Laura curved around him and she vaulted across the room out into the living room.

She spotted her phone on the kitchen isle and ran to grab it as arms grabbed her around the waist, she was forced face down to the ground.

She screamed, struggling against her attacker, the music flowing through her apartment seemed to be louder than ever and thunder now sounded overhead.

A hand covered her mouth as a voice spoke in her ear.

“You’re the one who got away...”

She screamed again and then thrashed around as he tied her hands behind her back.

_“Get off me! The only reason your alive is because I asked the judge for life! I should have killed you when I had the chance!”_

“You are all I think about…”

Laura struggled against her bonds, groaning, “I’m a federal agent, you do _anything_ to me and you _won't_ get away this time…”

*

Carmilla’s Apartment, Georgetown, Washington D.C

Carmilla entered her apartment, running a hand through her damp hair. She dropped her mail onto her desk and began searching around for the file she would need for tomorrow’s meeting. Grabbing it up, she glanced over it quickly and then placed it onto the edge of her small living room table so she wouldn’t misplace it before tomorrow.

She yawned, picking up a few days old coffee cups as she thought about her partner… maybe she should go and see her…

She glanced toward the window at the rain followed by a flash lightening and then frowned, deciding not to brave the weather again tonight. She wondered into her kitchen, placing her old cups in the sink before turning around and dropping down heavily onto her couch.

Carmilla pulled out her phone, she had a missed call and a voice mail from Joe Barrett. She brought up her voicemail as she relaxed into the couch. She’d been waiting on his call…

“ _Agent Karnstein. Hi, this is marshal Joe Barrett, I’m calling to give you an update in regards to the Donald Young case. We talked to a woman this morning who was almost picked up by Young. We’ve tracked him into your neck of the woods actually. Nothing to worry about though, we should have him in custody in a matter of hours...”_

Carmilla listen to the voicemail a second time.

_Good… that was good, a matter of hours…_

She clicked on Laura’s contact, she’d let her know the good news. She waited for her pick up… the line rang out. Carmilla stood and slowly walked around her small living room as she called her partner a second time. The call went to voicemail.

“Laura, it's me. Call me back, I’ve got some good news.”

Carmilla walked back into her kitchen and grabbed herself a glass of water. She leant on the side as she listened to the rain lashing down outside.

She thought of her partner again…

_We’ve tracked him into your neck of the woods actually…_

She sipped the water, glancing toward the window, a feeling of unease coming over her. The lights flickered above her head and the cold glass slipped between her hands smashing on her ground near her feet.

Carmilla hardly reacted, she stared at the glass and the water coating the floor for a moment before reaching into her pocket for her phone and calling her partner a third time… she frowned as Laura failed to answer again.

_We’ve tracked him into your neck of the woods actually…_

She glanced again at the smashed glass on her kitchen floor… The uneasiness she felt getting stronger. Her hand automatically landed on her gun holstered to the belt… something didn’t feel quite…

 _“Laura…”_ Carmilla whispered.

*

Laura’s apartment, Arlington, Virginia

Laura was in her bedroom closet, she was feeling the worst case of dejavu she’d ever encountered. Her head throbbed, her eyes ached. Her arms were tied behind her back and her mouth was gagged as she sat waiting for the inevitable to happen.

She groaned as she heard shuffling in her bedroom and after a moment the closet door creaked open.

She recognised this moment from her dream, her captors dark silhouette staring down at her as the lightening lit up the room behind him.

He knelt down in front of her, “The bath is almost ready, don’t cause me any problems…” She’d heard that voice in her nightmares too.

She glared at him, trying to pry her wrists apart, “Hope you used the bubble bath, its next to the sink…” She tried to speak those words around her gag but it came out a garbled mess.

He stared at her for a moment and then his hand reached out toward her.

“Don’t touch me…” She garbled again as his hand lightly touched the top of her head.

She shook her head around to dislodge his hand and he stood up, he stared at her for a moment more before he stepped away and the door fell closed again.

Laura fell to one side, shuffling toward the door. She blinked an eye closed as she tried to see though the small gap under the closet door… She couldn’t see movement but she could see her gun amongst the smashed glass under her bed.

If only she could get to it…

The music playing through the apartment changed to a song Laura didn’t recognise.

She pushed the door open, this was probably her only chance. She scrambled out, kicking her closet door closed with her foot she shuffled under the bed as quickly she could. Twisting herself and bending her legs to get her hands underneath her, she tugged her hands under and in front of her. She pulled her gag out of her mouth and froze as her captors feet appeared in the bedroom doorway.

He walked around the bed slowly. Laura held her breath as she watched him, his hand appeared as he reach down and picked up a candle off the ground near the bed. It sounded as if he picked up another off the desk as then he disappeared from the room again.

Laura grabbed her gun between her tied hands.

This was it.

She rolled out from under the bed and struggled to get to her feet. She could feel the broken glass digging into her feet as she stepped toward the bedroom door, she raised her gun… only to pause.

It sounded as if her front door hit the hall…

_“Hands where I can see them, Young. Where is she, you son of a bitch! Where is she?!”_

A shudder of relief passed through Laura at the sound of partners voice and she closed her eyes for a moment.

_“Where is she?!”_

Laura staggered out of her bedroom as Donald Young knelt on the floor with his hands behind his head, Karnstein’s gun pointed at him.

She met Carmilla’s gaze for a second and then she was staring at Donald Young.

He was staring at her, his lips slowly turning up into an evil smile.

Laura remembered her gun gripped in her tied hands and she pointed it at her captor.

“Laura…”

She felt herself pulling the trigger, once… twice… a third time…

And then Young was lying dead on her living room floor.

Laura blinked, a wave of nausea coming over her. Agent Karnstein stared at her in shock. Her gun slipped from her hand and hit the floor as she stared at his dead body.

“Laura… Are you okay?”

The next thing she is aware of is Carmilla tugging at the restraints around her wrists and pulling her into a hug that she found she couldn’t bring herself to return.

“It’s okay, it’s over…”

Laura couldn’t drag her gaze away from the body on her floor as her partner pulled out her phone.

“This is Special Agent Carmilla Karnstein with the FBI…”

*

Laura didn’t recognise any of the people walking around her apartment, she hobbled into her bedroom, taking in the scene before her. She walked over to her dresser to try and grab some clothes. She gave up with a sigh and sat heavily on the edge of her bed, her head dropping into her hands as she began to feel overwhelmed.

There was a dip on the bed next to her but Laura didn’t move.

“We should be able to get out of here really soon… okay?” She heard her partners voice.

“Carm… I killed him…” she mumbled into her hands. “He was… he surrendered... but I still did it. I looked at him, right in the eyes… I had the gun in my hand and I couldn’t not… I had to, Carm, I had too.”

Carmilla’s arm came up around her, “Laura, as far as I’m concerned he left you no choice… and my report will reflect that.”

“I killed him...” she cried.

“Laura,” Carmilla glanced toward the bedroom door before continuing, “Listen to me, I’d have killed him if you hadn’t…” she whispered.

Laura pulled her partner close and hide her face in her shoulder.

“We need to go the hospital and get you checked over okay?”

No, I’m okay. I’m fine. I’m okay…” Laura mumbled.

Carmilla sighed, running her hands through Laura’s hair and then moving so she could look at her face.

 _“Are_ you okay?”

Laura stared into her partners eyes for a moment, “ _No.”_

Carmilla placed a kiss on her brow.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get here sooner… I’m _so_ sorry.”

Laura held her tight.

“I love you,” Laura whispered into her partners neck. “I almost never said it, If I’d have… I’d have never told you.”

Carmilla gripped her tighter as she started to sob into her shirt.

“I love you too, Laura.”

*

A few weeks later…

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

Agent Hollis walked into the quiet office, glancing around… it was quieter than usual, empty actually. There was an agent with her back to Laura across the office, unmoving as she stared at the crime board.

Laura walked over slowly and stood next to the agent without speaking a word. The agent was staring at a series of photographs.

“Agent Karnstein, I’m Agent Hollis, I’ve been assigned to work with you.” Laura spoke around a smirk.

Carmilla turned to look at her surprised, _“Laura,”_ she smiled, pulling her in close and planting a kiss on top of her head.

“What are you doing here? I thought you said it would be another few weeks.”

“Well, somebody’s gotta keep an eye on you…” Laura smiled up at her partner.

They stared at each other for a moment.

“So,” Carmilla smirked, “Who did you piss off to get stuck with me, Agent Hollis?”

Laura giggled.

Carmilla stared at her, “Laura, are you sure you’re ready to be back here?”

Laura just smiled, dismissing the question, “What are you working on?”

Agent Karnstein regarded her a moment longer before nodding, “Well…”

She stepped away from her partner, looking back at the crime board, “If I could, I’d like to get your professional opinion on this…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'd have thought considering we've been stuck inside for weeks now I'd have gotten this out quicker but no... I wrote 2k words and then somehow couldn't find the document and thought it was gone forever. Almost gave up but found it saved in the cloud.
> 
> So i guess this is the last chapter, i will write something of an epilogue to round it off properly.
> 
> thanks for reading!


	18. The End

10 Years Later

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C

“Assistant Director… Agent Lola Perry is here to see you.”

“Send her in,” Carmilla said swiftly before hitting a button on her desk phone.

She closed the report she was reading and stood to greet her visitor.

“Good afternoon, Assistant Director Karnstein,” Agent Perry waltzed into the room all prim and proper. Her auburn curls bouncing as she walked, she looked like a breath of fresh air.

“Nice to meet you, Agent Perry,” Carmilla shook her hand before gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. “Please…”

Carmilla took her seat and pulled up Agent Perry’s file on her computer, “Agent Lola Perry, I’ve just been reading your file… I’m impressed, top marks at the academy…very good. I read your thesis too. Serial Killers… you talked in some detail about the Harold Waites case.”

Karnstein smiled as Agent Perry seemed to blush.

“I did, I hope it’s not unprofessional of me to say I’m kind of a fan of yours... and your old partner of course.” She said nervously.

“Agent Hollis. Yes, she… was an excellent agent.” Carmilla nodded, sitting back in her chair.

“I just finished reading your book actually… it was a fascinating read.”

“Thank you, Agent Perry.” Karnstein spoke in a practiced tone, “So, purely out of interest, how did you come to join the Bureau?”

“I was recruited out of college, it wasn’t something I’d considered before but when the opportunity arose I couldn’t turn it down.”

Agent Karnstein nodded and opened a file on her desk, “Have you ever heard of an Agent _LaFontaine?_ ”

Perry nodded, looking down at her knees as she contemplated, “Of course, they’re a genius in the field… not unlike you.”

Assistant Director Karnstein smirked, “Indeed they are…”

“I’m assigning you work with Agent LaFontaine, they’re a remarkable agent but I feel you’ll both make a good team. Are you agreeable?”

“Of course,” Agent Perry breathed out almost in disbelief, “I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

“Just do me a favour and keep them on track. They've been working on a few projects outside of the mainstream and they tend to get a little distracted."

Karnstein rose from her chair, she reached out and shook Agent Perry’s hand.

"Welcome to the FBI… My assistant, Jessica will show you to your office where I’m sure your new partner is eager to meet you.”

Carmilla sat down at her desk as Agent Perry was dismissed, opening a field report and continuing to read.

After a few minutes, the door opened. “Assistant Director, your wife is here…”

Carmilla looked up from the report as Laura strolled into the room without waiting to be permitted.

“Agent Hollis,” Carmilla smiled, rising from her chair.

Laura smiled and rolled her eyes, “You wish.”

“Sorry Cupcake, force of habit.”

“I left the FBI four years ago,” Laura gave Carmilla a quick kiss.

She was dressed casually in jeans and she had a visitors pass pinned to her shirt.

"You're still a consultant, you're here more often than most of my agents."

Laura shrugged and took the chair opposite the desk that Perry had just vacated.

“I thought you said you were working today,” Carmilla said as she sat back down.

“My shift starts in an hour. Here I brought you lunch." She dropped a bagel down on the desk.

“Thanks. Well, don’t work too hard, Doctor Hollis,” Carmilla smirked.

“You’re one to talk…”

Carmilla chuckled.

“I’ve finally assigned Agent LaFontaine a new partner,” Carmilla said, unwrapping her bagel.

“You know LaFontaine is basically _you_ when we first met _.”_ Laura relaxed back in her seat.

Carmilla nodded, “Agent Perry seems like the perfect match too.”

“I think I see where this is going…” Laura smirked, raising her brows.

“Oh, did you remember to send a card to Belmonde?” Laura said, pulling out her phone.

“No, I forgot,” Carmilla breathed out, closing the file on her desk.

“Well, can you make sure you do it please,” Laura insisted.

“I’ll just get Jessica to do it,” She gestured toward the office door where her assistant would be sat at her desk.

 _“No,_ it has to come from _us_ personally,” Laura shook her head.

“Is it really necessary?” Carmilla wondered aloud.

“Carm, she’s the new director of the FBI. _Yes_ , it is necessary, plus, we’d have never met if it wasn’t for her.”

“I do remember…. Fine, I’ll get it done,” Carmilla said with a sigh, picking up a pen and scribbling on a sticky note.

“Don’t forget.”

Carmilla refrained from rolling her eyes.

“I ran into Danny downstairs…” Laura grinned.

“Really? How is Agent Lawrence?” Carmilla took a bite of her bagel.

“She’s great! She’s loving teaching at the academy actually. She’s got a real knack for it I think.”

“And, how is she since… _you know.”_

Laura sighed, “I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to bring it up.”

Carmilla raised a brow, “It’s been six years. Kirsch died a hero, he saved her life.”

“Carm, they were partners, its _heart-breaking_. It’s like me and you.”

“Cupcake, you know their partnership was nothing like ours. And if it was… _ew.”_

Laura shook her head, not responding.

“Is she still with-”

 _“Amy?_ Yep. Did you know they’re getting married?” Laura smiled.

Carmilla grimaced amusingly, “Imagine being married to Agent Lawrence.”

“ _Carm…”_ Laura frowned, shaking her head again.

Carmilla smirked.

“It’s a good thing you’re here, I could use your help actually. Can you take a look at this autopsy report for me? Tell me what you think of this one.” Carmilla said flicking through the file and handing Laura the report.

Laura eye’s flew over the page and she glanced up at her wife with a raised brow.

“Hmm…” She began to read aloud, “As with the previous victim, it appears that the subject was exsanguinated, left with two small puncture holes in the throat… is this a joke?”

She looked up suspiciously.

Carmilla shook her head.

“So, what is this? Like… like-”

 _“Vampire?”_ Carmilla smirked.

“What does the field report say?”

“Inconclusive.”

“I don’t believe it." Laura said, shaking her head as she dropped the report back onto the desk. "Have you got your agents working those old spooky cases they keep down in the basement or something?”

"Agent LaFontaine seems to have developed a consuming devotion to projects outside of the bureau mainstream, _the 'X Files.._.'" Carmilla grinned as she placed the report back in the folder. 

Laura snorted, "So, you'll have a few more spooky field reports landing on your desk?"

"We worked a spooky case or two back in the day, Hollis."

"Don't remind me," Laura rolled her eyes, "I still have nightmares about that Christmas Eve."

Laura’s phone chimed in her hand.

“Hollis.”

There was a moment of quiet as she listened.

“Ooh… I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Laura ended the call, rising from her seat, “I gotta go, I’m needed at the hospital. Enjoy your… _vampire case.”_

 _“Wait, wait_ …” Carmilla rose from her chair, she walked around her desk.

She smiled at her wife before leaning down to kiss her.

“I love you, Hollis.”

“And I love you too, Agent Karnstein.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Stay safe all.


End file.
